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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Katherine's Sheaves, by Mrs. George Sheldon
+
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+*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
+
+
+Title: Katherine's Sheaves
+
+Author: Mrs. George Sheldon
+
+Release Date: February, 2004  [EBook #5008]
+[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule]
+[This file was first posted on April 9, 2002]
+
+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, KATHERINE'S SHEAVES ***
+
+
+
+
+Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+KATHERINE'S SHEAVES
+
+BY MRS. GEORGE SHELDON
+
+(Mrs. George Sheldon Downs)
+
+
+
+
+
+To her,
+
+Who led my newly awakened thought
+Towards a higher understanding of God,
+And opened before me broader vistas of the Life immortal
+That is born of Truth and Love,
+                My Teacher
+                 F. S. K.
+this story is lovingly dedicated by The Author
+
+
+
+The words Science and Health which appear as marginal reference
+refer to The Christian Science Text Book "Science and Health, with
+Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker G. Eddy
+
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+     I.  At Hilton Seminary
+    II.  Katherine and Her Roommate
+   III.  Dorothy
+    IV.  Phillip Harris Stanley, M.D.
+     V.  Katherine's First Sabbath at Hilton
+    VI.  Materia Medica and Miracles
+   VII.  Katherine and the Junior League
+  VIII.  Transcendentalism as Elucidated for the Junior League
+    IX.  Katherine Makes a Demonstration
+     X.  Mrs. Seabrook's Problem
+    XI.  Dr. Stanley Asks Some Questions
+   XII.  Prof. Seabrook's Ultimatum--and Broken Rules
+  XIII.  The Story of a Stray Waif
+   XIV.  A Sophomore Racket
+    XV.  "Hilton Volunteers"
+   XVI.  A Junior Entertainment
+  XVII.  Dr. Stanley Has An Object Lesson
+ XVIII.  Sadie Receives an Opportune Invitation
+   XIX.  Mrs. Seabrook Takes a Stand
+    XX.  Interesting Developments
+   XXI.  The Traveler Returns
+  XXII.  Phillip Stanley's First Demonstration
+ XXIII.  Mrs. Minturn Visits Hilton
+  XXIV.  The End of School Days
+   XXV.  A Momentous Errand
+  XXVI.  Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+KATHERINE'S SHEAVES.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+AT HILTON SEMINARY.
+
+
+It was four o'clock in the afternoon on the opening day of the
+midwinter term at Hilton Seminary, a noted institution located in
+a beautiful old town of Western New York.
+
+A group of gay girls had just gathered in one of the pleasant and
+spacious recreation rooms and were chattering like the proverbial
+flock of magpies--exchanging merry greetings after their vacation;
+comparing notes on studies, classes and roommates; discussing the
+advent of new teachers, pupils and improvements, when a tall,
+gracious woman of, perhaps, thirty-five years suddenly appeared in
+the doorway, her fair face gleaming with humorous appreciation of
+the animated scene and babel before her, and enjoined silence with
+the uplifting of one slim white hand.
+
+There was an instantaneous hush, as the bevy of maidens turned
+their bright faces and affectionate glances upon their teacher,
+who, evidently, was a prime favorite with them all.
+
+"What is it, Miss Reynolds? What can we do for you?" eagerly
+queried several of the group, as they sprang forward to ascertain
+her wishes.
+
+"Is Miss Minturn in the room? I am looking for a new pupil who
+arrived this morning," the teacher responded, her genial, friendly
+blue eyes roving from face to face in search of the stranger to
+whom she had referred.
+
+A young girl, who had been sitting by herself in a remote corner
+of the room, arose and moved towards the speaker.
+
+"I am Katherine Minturn," she said, with quiet self-possession,
+yet flushing slightly beneath the many curious glances bent upon
+her, as her soft, brown eyes met the smiling blue ones.
+
+She was, apparently, about nineteen years of age, a little above
+medium height, her form slight but almost perfect in its
+proportions. A wealth of hair, matching the color of her eyes,
+crowned a small, shapely head, and contrasted beautifully with a
+creamy complexion, the delicacy of which was relieved chiefly by
+the vivid scarlet of her lips. Her features were clear-cut and
+very attractive--at least so thought Miss Reynolds as she studied
+the symmetrical brow, the large, thoughtful eyes, the tender mouth
+and prettily rounded chin curving so gracefully into the white,
+slender neck.
+
+"Ah! Miss Minturn. I have had quite a search for you," she said,
+reaching out a cordial hand to her; for, despite the girl's self-
+poise, she had caught a quiver of loneliness on the expressive
+face. "I am Miss Reynolds, the teacher of mathematics, and I have
+been commissioned by Prof. Seabrook to find and show you to his
+study. But first, let me present you to these chatterers."
+
+She dropped the hand that was trembling in her clasp, and,
+slipping a reassuring arm about the girl's waist, continued:
+
+"Young ladies, this is Miss Minturn, a new junior. I can't present
+each of you formally, for she is wanted immediately elsewhere; but
+I will see that she finds you all out later."
+
+Katherine nodded a smiling acknowledgment to the vigorous clapping
+of hands and the hearty "Welcome, Miss Minturn, to Hilton." Then
+Miss Reynolds led her away, and the interrupted chatter of the
+magpies was resumed with redoubled animation, but now the new
+junior absorbed the attention of everyone.
+
+"Say, girls, isn't she a dear?" "Came this morning, did she? where
+from, I wonder?" "My! but wasn't that a nobby traveling suit, and
+such a fit!" "Katherine Minturn--pretty name, isn't it?" "Does
+anybody know anything more about her?" were some of the comments
+and queries that slipped from those supple instruments with a
+tendency towards perpetual motion, which, sometimes, are described
+as organs that are hung in the middle and wag at both ends--
+school-girls' tongues.
+
+"Hush!--sh!--sh! Oh, girls, do ring off, and perhaps I can give
+you a point or two," cried a high-pitched voice with an
+unmistakable Southern drawl, as a somewhat overdressed girl of
+nineteen or twenty years re-enforced her appeal by vigorous
+gestures to attract attention, whereupon the ever alert spirit of
+Curiosity silenced every loquacious chatterer, except one who
+solemnly announced, "Ladies, Miss Minot has the floor!"
+
+"Yes," the speaker observed, "the new junior does strike one as
+being downright stunning. She came from New York City, and"--with
+a lugubrious sigh--"though I've never set eyes on her before, I
+was informed this morning that she is to be my roommate for the
+remainder of the year."
+
+A burst of mirthful laughter rippled over a dozen pairs of rosy
+lips at this last mournfully conveyed information.
+
+"Aha! at last Miss Sadie Minot has got to come down to the lot of
+common mortals and take in a chum!" cried a merry sprite, with a
+saucy chuckle. "Oh, how you have spread yourself and luxuriated in
+your solitary magnificence, and how every mother's daughter of us
+has envied you your spacious quarters! Well, you know what old
+Sol. said about 'pride' and a 'haughty spirit,' and the 'fall'
+always comes, first or last. But, Sadie, my love, be comforted,"
+she continued, with mock sympathy, "and just try to realize what
+splendid discipline it will be for you; one cannot have everything
+one wants, you know, even if one is an heiress in one's own right-
+-eh, dearie?"
+
+"But there's only one closet, and it is so full now," sighed Miss
+Minot, ruefully.
+
+"Hear! hear!" retorted the same mischievous maiden, whose name was
+Clara Follet. "After having had undisturbed possession of a whole
+room and closet for six long months she ungratefully bemoans----"
+
+"And only one chest of drawers," pursued Sadie, in the same
+strain, but with a comical quirk of an eye.
+
+A chorus of mocking groans and derisive laughter greeted this
+wail.
+
+"And all four crammed full with her superfluous finery," cried
+another of the merry group. "Whatever will you do with it now,
+Sadie?"
+
+"I'm sure I don't know, Ollie," retorted the pretty "heiress,"
+with a quizzical uplifting of her brows, "unless you take half of
+it off my hands altogether, instead of coming to borrow so often."
+
+Shrieks of appreciative mirth followed this deftly shot arrow, for
+it was a well-known fact that Ollie Grant, the pet of the school,
+was an easy-going little body, very prone to allow her wardrobe to
+get in a sad plight and then throw herself upon the mercy of
+others, to patch her up, in the event of an emergency.
+
+But Miss Ollie was equal to the occasion.
+
+"Really, Sadie, that would help you out, wouldn't it? and save me
+a lot of trotting back and forth," she demurely responded, though
+the dimples played a lively game of hide-and-seek in her plump
+cheeks. "There's such a love of a lace jacket in her second
+drawer, girls; my eyes water with envy every time I get a glimpse
+of it; and a few of those ravishing stocks that you've been laying
+in of late wouldn't come amiss. There's that lavender satin waist,
+too, you bought at Jerome's the other day. I know I should look
+perfectly killing in it; and--oh! ye Hiltonites!--she has just
+bought six of the sweetest corset covers you ever laid eyes on;
+think of it!--six! She could spare three just as well as not, and
+I'm sure she has at least a dozen pairs of silk stockings, while"-
+-with a doleful sigh--"I don't own a blessed one. Then there are
+ribbons and laces, fans and handkerchiefs galore. Don't you think
+it would be an act of mercy if I would agree to take some of these
+superfluities off her hands, rather than have them ruthlessly
+crushed into half their allotted space? And--"
+
+"Ollie! Ollie!--what an incorrigible little tease you are!"
+laughingly interposed Miss Minot, as she playfully tweaked the
+girl's ear. "I wonder how long the things would last you if you
+had them all!"
+
+"Oh, probably two or three times wearing around, providing they
+didn't come to mending before that," mused the "Pet," with a
+speculative look in her blue eyes, but with a quiver of the
+dimples that evoked another paroxysm of laughter from her
+audience. "But I say, Sadie," she went on with the next breath,
+"Miss Minturn is a downright sweet-looking girl, and I'll wager a-
+-a darning needle against a pair of those silk stockings you'll
+find her O. K. Maybe she'll let you have an extra drawer and a
+hook or two in the closet."
+
+"I don't feel very hopeful, so I won't take you up," sighed Sadie;
+"for when I came in from my walk I saw a big trunk, with 'K. M.'
+on it, in the hall, and it looks to me as if I--I'm destined to go
+through a different kind of 'cramming' process this year, in
+addition to the usual one."
+
+This self-inflicted shot now turned the laugh again upon the
+speaker, for it was an open secret that the Southern heiress
+dearly loved her ease and took it, up to the last moment, then had
+to "cram for all she was worth" to get ready for "exams."
+
+While this chatter and fun were going on in the recreation room,
+Katherine Minturn had been conducted to the study of Prof.
+Seabrook, by whom she was received with his customary courtesy.
+
+The principal of Hilton Seminary was a distinguished-appearing
+gentleman of fifty years, possessing a strong, intellectual, yet
+refined face, whose chief charm was a pair of large, expressive
+blue-gray eyes that could be most winningly kind, or most coldly
+and blightingly stern, as the case might be.
+
+"Be seated, Miss Minturn," he courteously commanded, as Miss
+Reynolds excused herself and withdrew, and indicating a chair near
+the table by which he had been sitting when she entered.
+
+Katherine obeyed, feeling strongly attracted to the man by his
+genial manner, even though she knew that his keen but friendly
+eyes were intent upon reading what lay beneath her exterior.
+
+"I suppose you feel that you have had rather a hard day," he
+continued, glancing significantly at some closely written sheets
+which he had evidently been looking over when she entered, and
+which she instantly recognized as her examination papers.
+
+"Not at all," she quietly returned, lifting her clear eyes to him,
+and he marveled at the unclouded serenity in their pure depths.
+
+"Indeed!" and he could not quite conceal his surprise. "It is a
+rare event for a young lady to make such an admission after a
+rigid ordeal like what you have sustained this afternoon. However,
+I am happy to inform you that you are unconditionally admitted to
+the junior class; your papers do you great credit, Miss Minturn. I
+had not expected quite so much from you, as you had told me that
+you left school last year, a sophomore, and have been traveling
+abroad until recently. I feared we might have to ask you to review
+a little, for it is rather unusual for a pupil to enter an
+advanced class in the middle of the year."
+
+"But I have not been idle since leaving school," Katherine
+replied, a happy gleam in her eyes, for his commendation was very
+gratifying to her; "although we were abroad for several months, we
+were often located in some place for weeks at a time, and mamma,
+having once been a teacher at Vassar, coached me for the junior
+class."
+
+"Ah! that explains your proficiency. How convenient to have an ex-
+Vassar in the family!" Prof. Seabrook smilingly observed. "All the
+same, I am sure the daughter deserves some commendation for work
+conscientiously done."
+
+"Thank you, sir," said Katherine, a flush of pleasure tingeing her
+cheeks.
+
+The principal then proceeded to give her some information
+regarding her classes and the ground to be covered in her various
+studies during the coming term, after which he asked some
+questions as to her recent travels, whereupon they fell into a
+pleasant chat about points of interest which both had visited, and
+thus a delightful half hour slipped away. At length Prof. Seabrook
+referred to a book that lay on the table beside him, and observed:
+
+"I find, Miss Minturn, that you are to room with Miss Sadie Minot,
+a young lady from Atlanta, Georgia, and I think you will find her
+an agreeable companion. However"--with a humorous twinkle in his
+eyes--"to use a homely proverb, 'it is Hobson's choice,' for it
+happens to be the only vacancy in the building; we have a very
+full school this year. I will call some one to show you how to
+find it, and have your trunk sent up later."
+
+He touched a bell and presently a young girl about sixteen entered
+the room, with a brisk step and an alert air, suggestive of a
+repressed cyclone only awaiting an opportunity for mischief
+brewing; while, as she approached the occupants, a strong odor of
+peppermint made itself apparent in the atmosphere.
+
+"Miss Minturn, this is Miss Wild, one of our breezy freshmen--eh,
+Jennie?" and the quizzical look again leaped into the blue-gray
+eyes.
+
+Katherine smilingly acknowledged the introduction, while Miss Wild
+blushed and nodded an embarrassed greeting, then immediately
+turned her face away from the focus of the professor's observation
+and made a comical grimace which came very near proving too much
+for Katherine's dignity.
+
+"Jennie," the gentleman continued, "Miss Minturn is to share Miss
+Minot's room--number fifteen, west wing--and I have called you to
+show her the way, if you please."
+
+"Yes, sir, I will," said the girl, with ready compliance, which
+culminated in a vigorous sneeze, whereupon, with the restless
+energy which pervaded her every movement, she whisked her
+handkerchief from her pocket, and, with it, there shot out a
+promiscuous assortment of chocolates and cream peppermints, which
+went bounding and rolling about the room in every direction.
+
+Prof. Seabrook gave vent to a hearty laugh of amusement at the
+awkward contretemps.
+
+"I thought I detected a familiar odor, Jennie," he observed; then
+added, good-naturedly, "You may pick them up, if you please."
+
+"Guess I will," she returned, eagerly, and nimbly suiting the
+action to her words. "I really can't afford to lose all that
+precious sweetness. Josie Craig gave them to me just as you rang."
+
+Katherine had risen and was moving towards the door, to cover her
+own inclination to explode, and thus make the situation more
+awkward for the girl, when the principal checked her by remarking:
+
+"By the way, Miss Minturn, the juniors and seniors attend the
+Bible class, which it is my province to conduct. We meet at four
+on Sunday afternoons in the south recitation room; and the lesson
+for next Sabbath will be on the Creation, as given in the first
+chapter of Genesis. And this reminds me that I have neglected to
+inquire where you will attend church. As our catalogue states,
+each student is allowed to choose her own place of worship. Where
+do you propose to make your church home?"
+
+Katherine had expected this question before; nevertheless, she
+flushed slightly as she turned back to face her interlocutor, and
+replied:
+
+"I am a Christian Scientist, Prof. Seabrook, and I shall attend
+the church on Grove Street."
+
+The pause which followed this announcement was painfully ominous,
+and Katherine was amazed at the frozen look which suddenly settled
+over the gentleman's face, together with the expression of stern
+disapprobation which instantly drove all the kindness out of his
+hitherto genial eyes. "A Christian Scientist!--indeed!" he said,
+in a tone as frigid as his look. "It is a matter of regret to me
+that you did not state that fact when you made application for
+admission to Hilton."
+
+Katherine's lip quivered slightly at this caustic remark and the
+accompanying scorn on the high-bred face; and the flush which had
+risen to her cheek a moment before vanished, leaving her quite
+pale, although in no way disconcerted.
+
+"But I believe the catalogue states that there is no sectarianism
+in Hilton Seminary, that the broadest possible religious tolerance
+prevails here," she remarked, with a sweet gentleness which, under
+any other circumstances, would have instantly disarmed her
+companion.
+
+But, as it happened, he was a bitter opponent of the "false
+doctrine," and the term "Science" applied to Christianity was a
+rank offense to his rigid Presbyterian opinions, as was also the
+fact that a woman had dared to face the world with it!
+
+"I do not recognize Christian Science, so-called, as a religion,"
+he retorted, with a sharpness in marked contrast to Katherine's
+sweetness. "In my opinion, it is simply a device and snare of
+Satan himself to deceive the very elect; and Miss Minturn"--this
+with frowning emphasis--"I will not, for a moment, tolerate the
+promulgation of its fallacious teachings in this school. I trust I
+make myself understood."
+
+Katherine had not once removed her clear, brown eyes from his
+countenance during this speech, but there was not the slightest
+manifestation of resentment on her own--only an expression of
+tender regret, as if she were sorry for him, because of the sense
+of discord that seemed to hold possession of him.
+
+"You mean that I am not to talk it here?" she said.
+
+"Exactly; nor flaunt it in any way."
+
+"I will not, sir," with gentle gravity; then a little smile
+curving her red lips, she added: "Christian Science, Prof.
+Seabrook, is a religion of Love, and I will simply try to live
+it."
+
+The principal of Hilton flushed to his brows before this
+unassuming girl, a circumstance unprecedented in the annals of the
+institution.
+
+Her look, her tone, the softly spoken words--all radiated love,
+and his arrogant spirit felt the gentle rebuke.
+
+"Have you that book, 'Science and Health,' with you?" he curtly
+demanded.
+
+Katherine's heart leaped within her. Did he mean to deprive her of
+her daily bread?
+
+"Yes, sir," with unfaltering glance and voice.
+
+"Then keep it out of sight," he briefly commanded, adding, in a
+tone of dismissal, as he took up his pen: "That is all, Miss
+Minturn."
+
+Katherine bowed respectfully, then quietly followed Jennie Wild
+from the room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+KATHERINE AND HER ROOMMATE.
+
+
+As the two girls were passing through the main building on their
+way to number fifteen, west wing, Katherine turned to her
+companion and observed, in a friendly tone:
+
+"So this is your first year in Hilton Seminary, Miss Wild?"
+
+Jennie, who had been "just boiling"--as she told her later--over
+the professor's recent crankiness and severity, turned to
+Katherine in unfeigned surprise, for there was not the slightest
+trace of resentment or personal affront in either her voice or
+manner.
+
+Her brown eyes were as serene as a May morning; her scarlet lips
+were parted in a sunny smile that just disclosed her white, even
+teeth, and her voice was clear and sweet, without even a quiver to
+betray emotion of any kind.
+
+Jennie Wild was a girl of many moods. Possessing the kindest heart
+in the world, and ever ready to run her nimble feet off to do any
+one a good turn, she was at the same time a veritable little
+"snapdragon." Touch her ever so lightly, and off she would go into
+paroxysms of mirth or rage, sympathy or scorn, as the case might
+be. Consequently she had looked for an outburst, or at least some
+manifestation, of indignation on Katherine's part, over the
+principal's recent sharpness and ungracious treatment.
+
+"Yes, I'm a freshie," the girl replied, with a nod and one of her
+comical grimaces, but still curiously studying the placid face
+beside her, "but I'm not here as you are. I'm a working student"--
+this with a rising flush and defiant toss of her pert little head.
+
+"'A working student?'" repeated Katherine, inquiringly.
+
+"That's what I said," laconically. "I can't afford to pay full
+tuition, so I wait on Prof. Seabrook and his wife, and do other
+kinds of work to make up the rest. You see"--the flush creeping
+higher, but with a secret determination to "sound" the new junior-
+-"I haven't any father or mother, and my aunt, who has always
+taken care of me, is poor, and there was no other way to finish my
+education after leaving the high school--see?"
+
+"Yes, I understand, and I think you are a dear, brave girl to do
+it," said Katherine, with shining eyes, and laying a friendly hand
+on her shoulder as they began to mount the stairs leading to the
+second story.
+
+"Do you--truly?" queried Jennie, with a glad ring in her tones.
+"My! I believe I feel two inches taller for that"--throwing back
+her head proudly; "you've given me a lift, Miss Minturn, that I
+shan't forget; nobody has ever said anything so kind to me before.
+I tell you"--confidentially--"it does take a lot of courage
+sometimes to buckle on to a hard lesson, after running up and
+downstairs forty times a day, besides no end of other things to
+do. Most of the girls are pretty good to me; though, now and then,
+there's one who thinks she was cut out of finer cloth. I dote on
+the professor, even if he does get a bit cranky sometimes, like
+to-day, when something ruffles his stately feathers. His wife is
+lovely, too, and the teachers are all nice. But don't call me Miss
+Wild, please. I'm 'Jennie' to everybody. 'Wild Jennie' most of the
+girls call me, and there really is a harum-scarum streak in me
+that does get the best of me sometimes," she concluded, with a
+mischievous flash in her dark eyes.
+
+"I shall be very glad to call you Jennie, if you wish, and my name
+is Katherine, with a 'K,'" said that young lady, with an inviting
+smile.
+
+"I'm sure there isn't any 'harum-scarum' about you," said the
+girl, gravely, as she searched the sweet, brown eyes.
+
+"That depends upon what you mean by the term," responded
+Katherine, with a ripple of mirthful laughter. "I assure you I
+love a good time as well as any other girl."
+
+"U-m--p'rhaps; but I guess it would have to be a--a--genteel good
+time. There's one thing I don't need to 'guess' about, though--you
+just know how to stand firm on your heels when you need to."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" questioned Katherine, with a look of
+perplexity.
+
+"Nobody will ever make you take a back seat--not even his highness
+downstairs, when you know you're right. I say, though"--she
+interposed, eagerly--"weren't you mad, through and through, at
+what he said to you just now?"
+
+"Mad?" repeated Katherine, flushing, and wondering if she had
+unconsciously manifested anything that had seemed like anger or
+temper during the recent interview.
+
+"Yes; didn't you feel as if you'd just like to go at him with
+'hammer and tongs'"--doubling up her fists and striking out
+suggestively right and left--"for being so crusty with you about
+your religion? I did."
+
+Katherine laughed out merrily at the girl's strenuous espousal of
+her cause, and with a sense of relief to know that she had shown
+no feeling unworthy of a Christian Scientist.
+
+"No, dear," she gently replied, "I could not feel anger or
+resentment towards any one because of a mere difference of
+opinion."
+
+"U-m! well, you didn't show any, that's sure. You just faced him,
+sweet as a peach, but like a--a queen who knows she's on her own
+ground. I thought, though, you might be just boiling over inside;
+but if you say you weren't, I believe you, for I think you're
+'true blue,' and I think Prof. Seabrook might have learned a
+lesson from you, for I never saw him quite so upset over a little
+thing before. I never had any use for Christian Scientists myself;
+don't know anything about 'em, in fact. But if they're all like
+you, I don't believe they'll ever do much harm in the world. Here
+we are, though--this is Sadie's room. She's an orphan, too, but
+she is very rich, and I tell you she just knows how to make her
+money fly--isn't a bit stingy with others, either," the voluble
+girl concluded, as she paused before a door at the head of the
+stairs in the second story of the west wing and rapped vigorously
+upon it for admittance.
+
+"Come in," responded a good-natured voice, whereupon Jennie opened
+the door and entered a sunny, inviting apartment, the sight of
+which instantly gave Katherine a homelike feeling.
+
+She also saw two pretty beds, on one side of the room, piled high
+with a motley assortment of dresses and finery that made her
+wonder how one person could ever make use of so many things, while
+an attractive girl was sitting upon the floor before the one
+dressing case, her face flushed and perplexed as she tried to pack
+another promiscuous collection into the insufficient space that
+would henceforth belong to her.
+
+"Miss Minot," said Jennie, advancing farther into the room and
+thus revealing her companion, "this is Miss Minturn, who is to
+room with you. Prof. Seabrook sent me to show her here and to
+introduce her to you."
+
+Miss Minot sprang to her feet and came forward with outstretched
+hand, her manner characterized by true Southern hospitality.
+
+"Come in, Miss Minturn," she said, cordially; "come right in and
+sit down," and releasing the hand she had grasped, she whisked two
+or three skirts off a rocker, tossing them upon the heap on one of
+the beds. "I knew you were coming, and I've been working right
+smart to get ready for you. I've had full swing here so long I've
+filled every nook and cranny of the place, and now"--with a shrug
+and a deprecatory smile--"I shall have to learn to be very orderly
+to keep from encroaching upon your territory. But there's lots of
+time. The things can wait while we get acquainted a little.
+Jennie, you'll have to take the trunk," she concluded, with a
+careless glance at the girl.
+
+"I haven't time to sit down, Miss Minot; I've my algebra lesson to
+learn for to-morrow morning," and Jennie, flushing with sudden
+anger at being so cursorily consigned to a trunk, turned to leave
+the room.
+
+Katherine put out a detaining hand.
+
+"Thank you, Jennie, for coming up with me," she said, with a
+friendly smile, adding: "And I hope there will be no more
+interruptions while you are conning the algebra lesson."
+
+"I hate mathematics," Jennie affirmed, with an impatient shrug,
+"but the things you most dislike are supposed to do you the most
+good, so I just have to bottle up when it's time for algebra and
+try to play 'it's an angel being entertained unawares.' Good-by,
+Miss Minturn. I'll see you again later." And bestowing a bright
+glance and nod upon her new friend, she shut the door and went
+whistling cheerily down the hall.
+
+"That's a queer 'pickaninny'! I didn't mean to hurt her, though,"
+observed Miss Minot, as she curled herself up on the foot of a
+bed, preparatory to getting acquainted with her new roommate.
+
+"She certainly possesses originality," Katherine laughingly
+responded; "but I like her none the less for that."
+
+"Poor young one!" Sadie continued. "She doesn't have a very easy
+time of it here. She is a stray waif, and hasn't a relative in the
+world, to her knowledge."
+
+"She spoke of an aunt," interposed Katherine.
+
+"She calls Miss Wild 'aunt,' but she isn't, really, and the child
+actually does not know her own name. The way of it was this," Miss
+Minot went on to explain: "When she was a baby there was a
+terrible railway accident, in which it was supposed both her
+parents were killed, for nobody could be found to claim the child
+after it was over; and Miss Wild, an old maid with a small
+annuity, was on the same train, and, like an angel, cared for her,
+hoping some relative would be found when the dead were identified;
+but no clew to her identity was ever obtained, and the woman has
+done the best she could for her all these years."
+
+"How very lovely and noble of Miss Wild," breathed Katherine,
+appreciatively. Then, glancing around the disorderly room, she
+added: "Now, Miss Minot, I feel almost like an intruder to have
+you so upset on my account. Do let me help you put some of these
+things away."
+
+"Oh, never mind the truck," Sadie lazily returned. "I'll take care
+of the things presently. I'm right glad that you are a junior,"
+she resumed, in a comfortable tone. "It is so much nicer to have a
+roommate who can go right along with you, and I'm sure you'll be a
+great help to me."
+
+Katherine smiled as her companion thus unwittingly revealed a
+strong phase of her character. She saw that her tendency was to
+lean upon the nearest prop; and, as to be "forewarned is to be
+forearmed," she resolved to govern herself accordingly.
+
+They chatted socially until the janitor appeared with Katherine's
+trunk, whereupon Sadie bestirred herself once more to bring order
+out of chaos.
+
+This was much easier said than done, and as she saw that she was
+going to be very much crowded, Katherine unpacked but very few
+things at that time. She generously said she would try to get
+along with one-third of the closet and one of the drawers in the
+bureau, and utilize her trunk trays for her own waists and finery,
+while she could stow things not often needed in the lower portion.
+
+Later she hired the janitor to put up a bracket shelf in one
+corner of the room, tacking a long chintz curtain to it, and, with
+a dozen hooks screwed into a cleat underneath, thus improvised a
+very convenient little closet for her individual use.
+
+While the roommates were "becoming acquainted," Jennie Wild, full
+of what she had seen and heard, and, for the time being, unmindful
+of the waiting algebra lesson, rushed down to the recreation room,
+where many of the students were still congregated, and reeled off
+her news to a bevy of curious and interested listeners.
+
+The information that the new junior was a "Christian Scientist"
+created quite a flutter of excitement. Some were horrified and
+indignant because such a pariah had been admitted to the seminary;
+others ridiculed and laughed to scorn the doctrines of the "new
+cult," while a few appeared indifferent and declared that every
+one had a right to her own opinion upon religious subjects.
+
+The matter was pretty thoroughly canvassed, however, the attitude
+of the principal having weighty influence and governing the
+preponderance of opinion; and by the time the supper bell rang
+almost every student in the house had learned the whole story and
+decided that, for the present at least, she would give the
+newcomer a wide berth.
+
+Katherine became conscious of the iciness of the atmosphere the
+moment she entered the dining room and came under the battery of
+the hundred or more pairs of curious and critical eyes that were
+eagerly watching for her to appear. Miss Reynolds, who had
+overheard some of the gossip and adverse criticisms, was also on
+the lookout for her, and approaching her with the graciousness
+which was her chief charm, observed:
+
+"Miss Minturn, I have made a place for you at my table. Until you
+become better acquainted and choose your permanent seat, you shall
+sit close under the shelter of my wings."
+
+"And a very friendly shelter, I am sure, I shall find it; you are
+very good," Katherine replied, with quick appreciation.
+
+The teacher led her to her place, and, while they stood waiting
+for the professor to give the signal to be seated, introduced her
+to two or three of the girls in their vicinity.
+
+Katherine keenly felt, and Miss Reynolds noted with increasing
+displeasure, the quickly averted eyes and cool acknowledgment of
+these introductions; but the principal drew out his chair, and
+Katherine's momentary feeling of awkwardness was covered by the
+confusion of getting into place. But for her teacher she would
+have had a very lonely and silent meal; for after one or two
+efforts to engage her nearest neighbor in conversation had been
+coldly repulsed, the tactful woman threw herself into the gap and
+the two chatted socially until they arose from the table.
+
+"She is a dear, sweet girl, and I am going to nip this nonsense in
+the bud," Miss Reynolds observed to herself on the way upstairs,
+where, in the main hall and parlors, the students usually spent an
+hour, socially, after the evening meal. But as she presented her
+charge, here and there, she only became more indignant in view of
+frigid salutations and a general stampede wherever they made their
+appearance, not to mention the scarlet spots that settled on
+Katherine's cheeks and her unnaturally brilliant eyes, although,
+in other respects, she appeared perfectly serene and self-
+possessed.
+
+"Please do not trouble yourself any further on my account, Miss
+Reynolds," she said, when she observed the look of dismay on her
+face as she glanced around the almost empty room they were in. "I
+understand the situation perfectly; they have all learned that I
+am a Christian Scientist, and, having conceived an erroneous idea
+of what that means, are avoiding me."
+
+"It is the most absurd, cruel and unjust treatment of a stranger I
+ever heard of," returned her companion, with flashing eyes, "and I
+shall make it my business to see that there is a radical change
+before another day goes by."
+
+"Please do not," Katherine pleaded, earnestly. "I would much
+prefer that matters be left to adjust themselves; any interference
+would only serve to intensify the antagonism against me; and I am
+sure when the girls come to know me better, they will at least
+realize that I am--harmless," and there was a gleam of genuine
+amusement in her eyes as she concluded.
+
+"You are a brave little girl," said her teacher, with a glow of
+tenderness at her heart and a suspicious moisture in her eyes.
+"But"--with a resolute straightening of her graceful figure--"I am
+not going to have you left to yourself on this your first evening
+at Hilton, so come with me to my room and we will have a nice time
+by ourselves."
+
+"Oh, I should like that," said Katherine, eagerly, "if it will not
+encroach--"
+
+"It will not," smilingly interposed her new friend, and, slipping
+an arm around her, she spirited her away to her pleasant room,
+where they spent a delightful hour together.
+
+When the eight o'clock study bell rang, Katherine returned to her
+own quarters, where she found her roommate already absorbed,
+apparently, in the preparation of to-morrow's lessons; for, as she
+entered, the girl merely glanced up from her book without
+speaking, then fastened her eyes again upon the pages before her.
+
+Katherine sat down by her own table and soon forgot everything but
+the work on hand, although, at first, she had experienced a sense
+of discord and friction in the atmosphere. The hour passed in
+absolute silence until the next bell rang, when Miss Minot closed
+her books and abruptly left the room.
+
+Katherine was not sorry to be left alone, and bringing forth from
+her trunk her Bible, "Science and Health," and "Quarterly," began
+to study her lesson for the coming Sunday. She spent half an hour
+or more in this way, then sat reading from her text-book until
+Sadie returned.
+
+Katherine greeted her with a smile as she entered and inquired:
+
+"What is the retiring hour, Miss Minot?"
+
+"Ten; and every light must be out at half-past," was the somewhat
+curt response.
+
+Then, after an irresolute pause, she walked over to Katharine, and
+picking up the book she had just laid down, asked:
+
+"What is this that you were reading? Oh! it is that dreadful book
+I've heard so much about."
+
+"It doesn't seem dreadful to me," returned her companion, gently.
+
+"Humph! 'At all times and under all circumstances overcome evil
+with good,'" [Footnote: "Science and Health," page 571.] she read
+from the page to which she had opened. "That's just another
+version of the 'golden rule,' isn't it?" Then, turning a leaf, she
+read from the next page: "'Love fulfills the law in Christian
+Science.' Humph!" she ejaculated again, as she put the volume
+down, "so you are a Christian Scientist! I heard about it
+downstairs."
+
+"Yes," quietly returned Katherine.
+
+"And do you really believe all they tell about the wonderful cures
+and--and the rest of it?" Sadie demanded, with curling lips.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Tell me about some of them," said the girl, eagerly, her
+curiosity aroused.
+
+"Excuse me, Miss Minot; I cannot, for Prof. Seabrook has forbidden
+me to say anything about the subject here," Katherine returned.
+
+"Yes, I heard that, too," said Sadie, with a nod. "Well, the
+professor is dead set against it, and I'm down on it right smart
+myself. You see"--with a superior air--"I'm an Episcopalian; my
+grandfather was an Episcopalian clergyman, a rector, you know,
+and"--with a shrug and laugh--"I'm afraid he wouldn't rest easy in
+his grave if he knew I had such a rank heretic for a roommate.
+But"--leaning forward and smiling into her companion's eyes--
+"aside from that I like you right well, Miss Minturn, and if we
+leave this subject alone I reckon we'll get along pretty
+comfortably together; what do you say?"
+
+"I am sure we will," cordially assented Katherine, "and"--with a
+merry twinkle in her eyes--"if you do not broach it, you may
+confidently rely upon my discretion."
+
+"I own up," good-naturedly returned her chum. "I did broach it
+this time; but"--flushing slightly--"something had to be said to
+get it out of the way, don't you know? And may I--would you like
+me to call you Katherine?"
+
+"With all my heart, Sadie."
+
+The two girls smiled into each other's eyes; the last vestige of
+formality was swept away, and the atmosphere was clear.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+DOROTHY.
+
+
+The midwinter term at Hilton Seminary had opened on Wednesday, and
+the remainder of the week passed quickly and uneventfully as
+Katherine fell easily into the ways of the institution and found
+herself getting well started in her various studies.
+
+Her relations with her roommate were most harmonious, but the
+majority of the students either ignored her altogether or treated
+her with a coldness that, had she not had her "Science" to sustain
+and comfort her, would have made her lot hard indeed to bear.
+
+She had not met the professor again, except in the class room,
+where he had seemed to be wholly absorbed in his duties as
+instructor and oblivious of the personality of the students.
+
+On Saturday afternoon she was introduced to Mrs. Seabrook while
+strolling in the grounds with Miss Reynolds, between whom and
+herself a growing friendliness was asserting itself. The
+professor's wife was walking beside a wheel-chair, which was being
+propelled by a nurse in cap and apron, and in which was seated--
+propped up by pillows--a young girl who appeared to be about seven
+or eight years of age, although her serious, pain-lined face and
+thoughtful eyes seemed, by right, to belong to an older person.
+
+Miss Reynolds paused on meeting this trio and introduced Katherine
+to Mrs. Seabrook, who greeted her with a sweet cordiality that at
+once won the girl's heart.
+
+"I heard that we had a new student among us," she said, as she
+warmly clasped Katherine's hand, "and I hope you are going to be
+very happy with us, Miss Minturn."
+
+"Thank you; not 'going to be'--I already am happy here," she
+cheerily and truthfully replied, for she had become deeply
+interested in her work, and, as she dearly loved to study, she was
+content to leave her social relations to be governed by the love
+she was "trying to live."
+
+"This is my daughter," Mrs. Seabrook continued, as she turned a
+fond look upon the pale, pinched face among the pillows. "Dorothy,
+this is the young lady whom you have been wishing to see."
+
+Katherine bent down, took the small mittened hand that was
+extended to her and smiled into the grave, searching eyes that
+were earnestly studying her face.
+
+"And I also have been wishing to see Dorothy," she said, with a
+note of tenderness in her tone that caused the slender fingers
+inside the mitten to close more firmly over her own. "I am very
+fond of little people."
+
+"I should not be so 'little' if I were well," Dorothy returned,
+with a faint sigh. Then, glancing up at her attendant, she added:
+"This is my nurse, Alice, and she has to wheel me about because I
+cannot walk."
+
+Katherine bestowed a friendly look and nod upon Alice; then a
+great wave of compassion for the little cripple swept over her
+heart and softened her earnest brown eyes as she turned back to
+her and remarked, in a cheery tone:
+
+"You have a lovely chair. These rubber tires must cause it to roll
+very smoothly and make it easy for Alice to wheel you about."
+
+"Yes, I like my chair very much--my Uncle Phillip brought it to me
+from Germany--and Alice is very nice about taking me everywhere I
+want to go; but it would be so much nicer if I could walk and run
+about like other girls," and Dorothy's yearning tone smote
+painfully upon every listening ear.
+
+"It certainly would, dear," Katherine returned, giving the small
+hand that still clung to hers a loving pressure, adding, softly:
+"And sometime you will, I hope."
+
+The child's face glowed at the term of endearment; but her pale
+lips quivered slightly at the hopeful assurance.
+
+"Oh! no," she said, shaking her head slowly; "I have a double
+curvature of the spine, and all the doctors say I never can. I--I-
+-think I could bear that--not being able to walk--but the dreadful
+pain sometimes makes me wish I wasn't here at all."
+
+Katherine did not make any reply to this pathetic information. For
+a moment or two she seemed to be oblivious to everything, even to
+the presence of her companions, and stood looking off towards the
+western sky, as if communing with some unseen presence there.
+
+Then, suddenly arousing herself, she detached a beautiful pink
+rosebud from the lapel of her jacket, saying, brightly: "Do you
+love flowers, Dorothy? will you let me fasten this on your coat?
+It is fresh from the greenhouse and will last some time yet.
+There--see!" as she deftly pinned it in place. "What a pretty
+contrast it makes against the dark-blue cloth."
+
+"It is lovely," said the girl, bending forward to inhale its
+perfume. "How perfect it is! Do you ever wonder, Miss Minturn, why
+God makes the flowers and things that grow so perfect and
+beautiful, and people--so many of them--imperfect and ugly?"
+
+"My dear," Mrs. Seabrook here smilingly interposed, though a
+quickly repressed sigh arose to her lips, "I hope you are not
+going to involve Miss Minturn in a metaphysical discussion during
+this first meeting! Dorothy has acquired a habit of philosophizing
+and asking profound questions that are not always easily
+answered," she explained to Katherine.
+
+"Surely, dear, you do not think that God ever made anyone, or
+anything, imperfect or ugly?" Katherine gently inquired.
+
+The child hesitated a moment, as if pondering the question.
+
+"Well," she presently asserted, with a positive intonation and nod
+of her head, "there are a lot of deformed, sick and ugly people in
+the world, and the Bible tells us that He made everything."
+
+"The Bible tells us, in Genesis, that 'everything that God made
+was good'; and, in Psalms, that 'all His ways are perfect,'"
+quoted Katherine.
+
+"Yes, I know it; that was in the beginning, though," said Dorothy;
+"but if He could make things perfect in the first place I don't
+see why He didn't keep them so if He is God."
+
+"Come, come, dearie; I think we must go on now--we are keeping
+Miss Reynolds and Miss Minturn from their walk," Mrs. Seabrook
+again interposed, with a note of gentle reproof in her tone, as
+she stooped to tuck the robe more closely around the girl.
+
+A sunny smile, like a burst of sunshine from under a cloud,
+suddenly broke over Dorothy's face, at once dispelling its
+unnatural gravity and perplexity.
+
+"I didn't think how naughty that was going to sound, mamma dear,"
+she said, as, with a deprecating air, she softly patted her
+mother's hand. "I'm afraid Miss Minturn will think I am not very
+good; but, truly, things do seem awfully mixed up sometimes when I
+get to thinking this way. I like you very, very much, though," she
+added, nodding brightly at her new acquaintance. "I wish you would
+come to see me in mamma's apartments when you are not too busy."
+
+"I shall be very glad to--if I may," Katherine replied, with an
+inquiring glance at Mrs. Seabrook.
+
+"Yes, do come, Miss Minturn, whenever you can find time; we are
+very glad to have the young ladies visit Dorothy, who has many
+lonely hours. Now come, Alice," and, with a parting smile and bow,
+she signaled the nurse to move on.
+
+"Good-by, Miss Minturn, and thank you for my lovely rose," cried
+the child, looking back over her shoulder and waving her small
+hand in farewell.
+
+"Poor child," sighed Miss Reynolds, as she and Katherine passed
+out of the grounds to the highway, "she has a continual struggle
+to live, yet she is a remarkable girl, in spite of her many
+infirmities, with a mind bright and keen far beyond her years."
+
+"How old is she?"
+
+"Thirteen, a month or two ago."
+
+"Is it possible? She does not look to be over seven or eight,
+although, mentally, she seems more mature."
+
+"That is true. She had a bad fall when she was six years old, and
+her body has never grown any since the accident," Miss Reynolds
+explained. "She suffers a great deal--sometimes the pain is almost
+unbearable; but, as a rule, she is very lovable and patient,
+though, now and then, a remark like what she made to you just now,
+shows that she thinks deeply and is perplexed--like some children
+of larger growth--over the knotty problems of life," she
+concluded, with a sigh.
+
+"How is it, Miss Minturn," she went on, after a moment of silence,
+"how do you Scientists account for the fact that a perfect and
+all-merciful God--'the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort,'
+as Paul puts it--has created a world of such confusion, wherein
+evil and suffering, instead of peace and harmony, are the
+predominant elements?--where, for ages, sickness and death have
+relentlessly mown down generation after generation, until one
+becomes heart-sick and weary, and even filled with despair, at
+times, in view of their probable continuance for ages to come?"
+
+The woman's face was flushed, her eyes somber, and there was a
+note of passionate protest in her voice which moved Katherine
+deeply; while what she had said proved to her that these problems
+had been pondered o'er and o'er until her mind was almost in a
+state of chaos regarding them.
+
+While she was debating with herself what reply she could make that
+would best meet her thought, her companion resumed:
+
+"I am a dear lover of children, but when I see anyone like
+Dorothy; when I see mothers grieving for their darlings, whom God
+gave them for a little while, then ruthlessly snatched from their
+embrace for no apparent reason, I feel sure that something is very
+wrong; and, of late years, my heart is filled with indignant
+protest whenever I hear of the birth of a dear little innocent.
+'Oh!' I cry within myself, 'it is born only to repeat the struggle
+with sin, suffering and death.' Of what use is its life? of what
+use the advent of future generations if there is no way to rise
+above, or conquer, such adverse conditions? Is God good--if there
+is a God--to create only to destroy? to arbitrarily force these
+little innocents into the world to fight the unequal battle with
+evil? Millions have faced it bravely--nobly, trusting God's
+promises, but they have never succeeded in removing one iota of
+the curse, 'Thou shalt surely die.' The whole problem of life is a
+mystery which I am tired of trying to solve," and Katherine was
+sure the woman stifled a sob as she concluded.
+
+"Surely, dear Miss Reynolds, you do not doubt the existence of
+God?" she gently inquired.
+
+"No, child; don't think me quite an atheist," said her teacher,
+with a deprecatory smile and gesture. "Life, nature, the universe,
+with their teeming and ever-unfolding wonders tell me that there
+is a Force--a controlling power and intelligence behind them. We
+call that force 'God.' We say that God is omnipotent, all wise and
+good; and certainly, in the government of the universe, everything
+points that way, everything is exact and perfect. But how to
+reconcile God as good, merciful, loving, with the creation and
+manifestation of evil as we find it on this planet? Ah! that is
+beyond me."
+
+"Can evil come out of good?" briefly queried Katherine.
+
+Miss Reynolds started slightly.
+
+"No," she returned, positively; "no more than a lie can spring out
+of truth; those are self-evident facts."
+
+"Then dare we say that God--which is but another term for good,
+Supreme Good--created evil?"
+
+"Oh, do you believe in the serpent or devil? I know he comes
+forward from some mysterious source in the narrative and is held
+responsible. Then naturally follows the question, 'Who created his
+satanic majesty?' Well, who did? If God created everything, and
+evil cannot come out of good, where did evil come from? What a
+paradox it seems!" she went on, without waiting for a reply. "Yet
+evil does exist in the world--look at Dorothy! Think of the sin,
+misery and crime all about us! Where did they come from? There are
+some who contend that God did not create evil, but permits it for
+some wise purpose; but that, to me, seems like a weak attempt to
+clear the Almighty from the terrible responsibility of having made
+sin and its deadly results without detracting from His
+omnipotence."
+
+"If a person tells you a lie, where does it come from?" Katherine
+quietly inquired.
+
+"From his own evil desire to deceive, of course."
+
+"Exactly; it was an invention of his own evil thought, prompted by
+some selfish motive. You can say the same of theft, murder--in
+fact of all crime. But God--Good--is not the author of the lie, or
+crime, neither does He 'permit them for some wise purpose,' as you
+have quoted, any more than a just and loving human father would
+teach, or permit, his son to become a criminal, claiming that he
+needed such discipline to fit him for future happiness; or, any
+more than you, a teacher, would put demoralizing literature into
+the hands of a student as a method of discipline for higher
+education."
+
+"How perfectly absurd that sounds! And yet it is parallel to the
+doctrine that has been taught for ages," said Miss Reynolds,
+thoughtfully. "But I do not see how you can apply the same logic
+to disease and suffering."
+
+"The Scriptures tell us that sin brought death.' Sickness and
+disease are the seeds of death; then they are the results of sin-
+evil. God not being the author of sin and disease, they, like the
+lie, can only originate in the evil thought or mind of the
+sinner," Katherine explained.
+
+"Then you believe that we mortals are alone responsible for all
+the suffering and evil there is in the world?"
+
+"Yes; evil is a mortal concept."
+
+"Then how does God---What is God, from your standpoint, Kath--may
+I call you Katherine?" and Miss Reynolds laid a caressing hand
+upon the girl's arm as she made this request.
+
+"Do--I should so like to have you," she replied, turning to her
+with a luminous smile. "Now for your question. God is Spirit, and
+'What the Scriptures declare Him to be--Life, Truth and Love,'"
+[Footnote: "'Science and Health," page 330.] she added, quoting
+from her text-book.
+
+"You say Spirit, instead of 'a spirit.' Now what is this Spirit?"
+
+"Infinite Mind, Intelligence, Omnipotent Good."
+
+"Ah!" Miss Reynolds began, then paused abruptly. "But
+intelligence, life, truth, love are characteristics, attributes
+which anyone may possess and cultivate."
+
+"Yes, considered in that sense they are attributes. But whence
+came they?" Katherine demanded, with glowing eyes. "The source of
+life must be Life itself, must it not? The same must also be true
+of truth and love. So Life, Truth, Love, Mind, Intelligence
+constitute, in Science, the Divine Principle, or God, the
+controlling and governing power of the universe and man."
+
+"Divine Principle! Mind! Intelligence! Life! Truth! Love! God!"
+repeated Miss Reynolds, and dwelling thoughtfully upon each word.
+Then, turning a wondering look upon her companion, she exclaimed,
+almost breathlessly:
+
+"Why, Katherine, if that is true I can understand how God can be
+omnipresent! That is a doctrine of my church, that has been a
+tantalizing mystery to me all my life. My dear girl," she went on
+in an eager tone, "I begin to see a ray of light--I must think
+more about it, though. I have always thought of Deity as a
+'personal God,' and, yes"--smiling--"I used to believe in a
+personal devil, too; with a very vague conception that although
+the latter had always managed to keep the preponderance of power
+in his hands, God would, in some miraculous manner, win the battle
+in the end. But, even now"--with a look of perplexity--"I do not
+grasp where or how, according to your logic, God comes in as
+supreme, infinite, so long as evil exists."
+
+"Let us go back to the lie for an illustration," said Katherine.
+"You said that it originated in the person's own evil thought and
+desire to deceive. Well, what happens when you turn the light of
+truth upon a lie?"
+
+"Why, it disappears--vanishes; you learn the fact and are no
+longer affected by, or conscious of, the falsehood."
+
+"Then truth has destroyed, annihilated it; it has become nothing
+to you. As long as you believe a lie you are its victim and suffer
+from it; but once learn the truth you are free from that illusion
+and its power over you is gone. Now, you would not say that truth
+created the lie, permitted it, or was in any way responsible for
+it, or your suffering on account of it?"
+
+"N-o; so God, being good--infinite good--knows nothing of evil in
+any form. Is that your point, Katherine?"
+
+"Yes; so it follows He could neither create nor permit what He
+knows nothing about."
+
+"Why!" exclaimed Miss Reynolds, turning a glowing face to the
+girl, "those same arguments must hold good for everything! Then
+sickness and suffering must be the outcome of wrong thought on the
+part of mortals! What unlimited possibilities that suggests!
+Divine Principle! I begin to understand why you call yourselves
+'Scientists'--you think and live in accord with this infinite,
+absolute Principle--you demonstrate it, as--as I demonstrate
+mathematics."
+
+"Yes," said Katherine, smiling; "so you see that Christian Science
+is, as some one has aptly said, 'the Science of sciences.'"
+
+"That is a very sweeping assertion," responded her teacher in a
+somewhat doubtful tone. "I'll have to ruminate on that. However,
+this little glimpse of a better way than I have hitherto known,
+seems like an olive leaf of hope and promise to me, for I have
+been tossing on a restless sea of doubt and skepticism for years,
+reaching out and groping after some substantial plank that would
+float me into a haven of peace and rest. But how is it that you,
+so young, argue so clearly and logically about these things that
+have puzzled older and wiser heads for ages?"
+
+"I have never known anything else," said Katherine, simply. "When
+I was a very little child my mother was healed of a disease which
+several physicians had pronounced incurable. She at once became an
+earnest student of Christian Science, and, later, a successful
+practitioner; consequently its principles, as far as I have gone,
+are as clear to me as those that govern your own dear mathematics
+are to you. But"--a blank look suddenly sweeping over her face--"I
+am afraid I have been guilty of rank disobedience in discussing
+these problems with you."
+
+"How so?" asked her teacher, in surprise.
+
+"Prof. Seabrook has strictly forbidden me to talk of Christian
+Science while I am a student at Hilton."
+
+"Of course, he meant that you must not talk it to the other
+students," said Miss Reynolds, "and it would be unwise, for,
+doubtless, the parents of many, if not of all, would object. But
+I, as your teacher, feel at liberty to ask you whatever questions
+I choose, and you are perfectly justified in answering them."
+
+"Ye-s, I believe you are right on that point," Katherine
+thoughtfully returned. "But I would not willfully disobey the
+professor in any way. I owe him perfect loyalty as long as I am a
+pupil in his school, and I mean to yield it to him."
+
+"That is right," her companion affirmed; "but you do not need to
+condemn yourself for what has occurred this afternoon, for, at my
+age, I am capable of judging for myself upon all moral and
+religious questions, and I think you may feel at liberty to give
+me any information that I may seek from you. I have not done with
+you, either," she added, with a significant smile, "for you have
+given me to-day a glimpse of something which I believe will change
+the universe for me. Ah! whom have we here?"
+
+She checked herself suddenly as a gentleman came into view around
+a curve in the road, a short distance ahead of them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+PHILLIP HARRIS STANLEY, M.D.
+
+
+Katherine glanced up as her companion called her attention to the
+approaching figure, and saw a finely formed man, tall, straight
+and stalwart, and, apparently, about thirty-five years of age. He
+possessed an attractive, though thoughtful, face, and bore himself
+with an air of refinement and self-possession that at once
+proclaimed him the cultured gentleman.
+
+A delicate pink instantly suffused the girl's face, and there was
+a peculiar thrill in her voice as she exclaimed, in great
+surprise:
+
+"Why! that is Dr. Stanley! Mamma and I became acquainted with him
+on board the Ivernia when we returned from abroad, two months
+ago."
+
+"So you already know Phillip Harris Stanley!" Miss Reynolds
+observed, and surprised in turn. "He is Mrs. Seabrook's brother--
+the 'Uncle Phillip' of whom Dorothy spoke. He has been in Germany
+during the last two years, studying in various hospitals, but has
+now again opened his office in this city. Dorothy is under his
+care, and he is therefore a frequent visitor at the seminary."
+
+By this time the gentleman had come within speaking distance of
+the ladies, whom he instantly recognized, his fine eyes lighting
+with pleasure as they fell upon Katherine. He courteously lifted
+his hat.
+
+"Good-afternoon, Miss Reynolds," he said, with a genial smile, as
+he extended his hand in greeting. "And, Miss Minturn, this is
+certainly an unexpected pleasure! I suppose, however," he
+continued, with a mirthful quiver of his lips, "it would not be at
+all proper to ask if you are well, even if your blooming
+appearance did not speak for you and preclude the necessity of
+such an inquiry. But to what happy circumstance do we owe the
+pleasure of your advent here?"
+
+"I am a student at Hilton Seminary," Katherine replied, as she
+frankly gave him her hand, her color deepening as she did so. "I
+played truant from school for several months, as you know, and am
+now trying to bridge the chasm."
+
+"And your delightful mother, Miss Minturn? I trust she is also we-
+--Ah! excuse me--enjoying life?"
+
+"Ah! Dr. Stanley, I see you have not forgotten how to exercise
+your propensity for teasing," Katherine retorted, with a light
+laugh. "My mother is both well and happy, thank you, and will be
+pleased to know that I have met you again."
+
+The physician bowed his acknowledgment as he remarked:
+
+"Pray give my kind regards to Mrs. Minturn when you make up your
+next budget of news for her. As for my propensity to tease"--with
+a roguish smile--"I had no resource except to exercise it upon the
+daughter. Since the mother would not be teased and could never be
+defeated in an argument, I had to retaliate in some way. But what
+class have you entered, Miss Minturn?"
+
+"I am a junior, Dr. Stanley."
+
+"Ah! then we shall keep you at Hilton for some time," and there
+was a ring of satisfaction in the gentleman's tones which did not
+escape the ear of the observant teacher. "Are you aware, Miss
+Reynolds," he said, turning to her and resuming his bantering
+tone, "what a revolutionary spirit our institution has taken to
+her bosom in admitting Miss Minturn?"
+
+"We have found her a very peaceable individual: thus far; she
+certainly does not have the appearance of being a discordant
+element," the lady returned, as she bestowed an affectionate
+glance upon her companion.
+
+But the girl's face had grown suddenly grave, and she now lifted a
+pair of very serious eyes to the physician.
+
+"Yes, Dr. Stanley," she observed, "Miss Reynolds knows that I am a
+Christian Scientist; but Prof. Seabrook has forbidden me to make
+my religious views prominent in the school."
+
+"I understand. Yes, I know that my brother-in-law is not at all in
+sympathy with the movement," said Phillip Stanley; and at once
+dropping his banter, he added, apologetically: "I fear that I was
+thoughtless in referring to the subject in the way I did, and I
+will not annoy you again by alluding to it in the presence of a
+third party."
+
+"I am not 'annoyed,' I assure you," Katherine replied, flushing
+again under his regretful glance. "Miss Reynolds, being a teacher,
+does not come under the ban; but I desire to respect Prof.
+Seabrook's wishes under all circumstances."
+
+"All honor to so loyal a student, and I will henceforth govern
+myself accordingly," smilingly returned the gentleman, as he again
+doffed his hat to her. "But I must move on. I have to make my
+visit to Dorothy and get back to the city for another appointment
+within an hour. I am very glad to have met you, ladies," and, with
+a parting bow, the handsome doctor went his way, leaving Katherine
+and her teacher to continue their ramble.
+
+"How strange that you should know Dr. Stanley!" Miss Reynolds
+observed. "He is the youngest member of Mrs. Seabrook's family,
+and a fine fellow--a very talented man, in fact. He had begun to
+distinguish himself in his profession before he went abroad, and
+now, even though he has been home only a couple of months, he has
+an extensive practice. But I suppose this does not interest you,
+as you have no use for doctors," she concluded, archly.
+
+"Indeed, it does interest me," said Katherine, earnestly, "and I
+hope you do not think that Scientists hold physicians in contempt.
+We all know that there are many noble men among them, who are
+devoted to their profession and are most conscientious in the
+practice of medicine."
+
+"But I suppose you would not employ one under any circumstances?"
+
+"No; I could not."
+
+"You have such faith in your mother's healing power, you would
+trust her before the most noted practitioner of materia medica?"
+
+"I have such faith in God's healing power that I would trust Him,
+and Him only," Katherine corrected, gently.
+
+"Do you never take medicine of any kind?"
+
+"No; I have never used a drop or a grain--nor material remedies of
+any description--since I was three years of age."
+
+"Perhaps you have never been ill enough to need them?"
+
+"Yes, I have needed help at times; but it has always come through
+the understanding of Christian Science."
+
+"Well, it is all a sealed book to me," sighed Miss Reynolds, with
+a look of perplexity. Then she inquired: "How did Dr. Stanley
+learn that you and your mother are Scientists?"
+
+"There is a little story connected with that revelation and our
+acquaintance with him," said Katherine. "There was a dear little
+girl on board the Ivernia who became violently seasick the day we
+sailed for home. The ship's surgeon was appealed to, but he could
+do absolutely nothing for her; she grew worse every hour for three
+days, when she seemed to be sinking rapidly. The surgeon called a
+consultation with Dr. Stanley and another physician from
+Philadelphia; but every remedy which their united learning
+prescribed failed, utterly, to afford any relief. The parents were
+in despair and a gloom settled over the whole ship, for it was
+reported that the little one would not live to land unless the
+nausea could be conquered. Then mamma sought the parents, told
+them she was a Christian Scientist, and, with their consent, would
+try to help the child. The mother was eager to try it, but the
+father sneered openly. He had 'no faith in any such mummery,' he
+said, yet he finally yielded to his wife's almost frantic appeals
+and gave his consent. The dear little thing was relieved almost
+immediately, and at the end of two hours, after eating a wholesome
+meal, was wrapped in a blanket and carried on deck, weak and white
+as a snowflake, it is true, but entirely free from the dreadful
+nausea, and smiling happily as she lay in her father's arms and
+breathed in the fresh, pure air. The next day she was dressed and
+playing about the deck with other children."
+
+"Well, that was a signal triumph over materia medica, wasn't it?
+How did the doctors bear it?" queried Miss Reynolds, who had been
+deeply interested in the story.
+
+"The ship's surgeon and Dr. Fletcher, of Philadelphia, gave mamma
+a very wide berth; but Dr. Stanley appeared to be really
+interested and anxious to learn the secret of the sudden cure. He
+found it very difficult, however, to accept some of our views, and
+it was too funny for anything to hear him, day after day, trying
+to corner mamma upon numberless points on which he had spent years
+of study," and Katherine laughed out merrily over some of the
+memories which her account had recalled.
+
+"That was what he meant, perhaps, when he said 'Mrs. Minturn would
+not be teased and could not be defeated in an argument'?"
+
+"Yes; he was very good-natured over it, though, gallantly bearing
+his defeat, never manifesting the slightest irritation, and was
+always most courteous. He is very cultured, and, having traveled
+extensively, we found much to admire and a very delightful
+compagnon de voyage in him."
+
+Miss Reynolds shot a keen look at the girl's animated face.
+
+"Yes," she observed to herself, "and if I am not very much
+mistaken, our 'cultured gentleman' heartily reciprocates that last
+statement." Then she remarked to Katherine: "He is really a noble
+fellow and bound to make his mark in the world. It is a great
+pity, though, that he should be so handicapped in his career."
+
+"Why, what do you mean?" exclaimed the girl, in astonishment.
+
+"Oh! do you not know that he is partially blind?"
+
+"No, indeed! Why, he has beautiful eyes!" said Katherine,
+flushing.
+
+"Yes, dear, I know he has, and there are very few who even suspect
+his misfortune, but it is true, nevertheless. When he was a boy of
+nine," Miss Reynolds went on to explain, "his father was showing
+him, one Fourth of July, how to manage some cannon crackers. By
+some fatality, the first and only one fired hit a post, glanced
+off and struck the child in the eye. When he recovered somewhat
+from the fright and pain caused by the accident, no wound could be
+found, although there was some discoloration from the bruise; but
+he said he could not see with the injured eye. The best oculists
+were consulted, and all agreed in their verdict: 'There was a
+partial dislocation of the optic nerve, and his sight would never
+again be normal; it might possibly improve with the lapse of time,
+but the injury was permanent;' and so it has proved. He can detect
+light from darkness with that eye, but that is all."
+
+Katherine made no reply when this account was concluded, but there
+came into her face a look which, her teacher was beginning to
+observe, always appeared whenever mention was made of sickness or
+trouble of any kind; it was a far-away expression, as if her
+thoughts had been lifted above and beyond the world and worldly
+things.
+
+It was only for a moment, however; she presently awoke to her
+surroundings, and calling attention to the view before them thus
+changed the subject, which was not referred to again.
+
+Meantime, Dr. Stanley walked briskly towards the seminary, but
+with a. very thoughtful face and mien, as if he were pondering
+some weighty subject.
+
+"It would be regarded as the height of absurdity," he muttered to
+himself. "But I wonder--I really would like to put it to the
+test."
+
+Then suddenly straightening himself with a resolute air, he
+quickened his pace and was soon inside the school grounds,
+reaching the building just in season to assist Mrs. Seabrook and
+the nurse in getting Dorothy inside.
+
+"Oh! Uncle Phillip!" joyously exclaimed the girl, as soon as she
+espied him, for she dearly loved this gentle man, who was always
+as tender as a woman in his treatment of her, and spared no pains
+to contribute to her comfort and happiness. "I was afraid you
+would not come to-day!"
+
+"I know I am late, Dorrie, but I was detained at the office by a
+new patient, and now I have another coming in an hour," he said,
+as he bent to touch her forehead with his lips.
+
+"Oh then you can't stay to finish that pretty German story!" cried
+the child, in a tone of disappointment.
+
+"Not to-day, dearie; but I will come to-morrow, to let mamma and
+papa go to church together, and we will have a fine time by
+ourselves."
+
+Patient Dorothy expressed herself as perfectly satisfied with this
+arrangement, and was soon laughing merrily over some amusing
+incidents, of which this good comrade of hers appeared to have an
+exhaustless store.
+
+These visits from her "jolly M.D. uncle," as she sometimes called
+him, were like oases in a desert to the suffering child, for he
+invariably made her forget herself, and always left her bright and
+happy with something pleasant to think about and talk over with
+her mother or nurse.
+
+He rolled her to her room, where, after a few minutes' chat, he
+made a brief examination of her condition, with some slight change
+in her medicines, then left her and sought Prof. Seabrook in his
+study, for it was his custom to report to him after each visit.
+
+"Well?" he questioned, eagerly, as the physician entered the room,
+for the child was "the apple of his eye," and he watched her every
+symptom most jealously.
+
+"I think Dorrie is holding her own pretty well."
+
+"Oh! Phillip, that is the same old story that Dr. Abbot used to
+tell me before you came home and took the case," Prof. Seabrook
+exclaimed, in a disheartened tone.
+
+"I know, Will; it must grow monotonous to you," said his brother-
+in-law, as he laid a sympathetic hand on his companion's arm.
+"But, truly, there is nothing else to tell you; you instructed me
+to give you 'facts with no evasions,' and honor compels me to obey
+you."
+
+"True; and I know you will bring all your skill, all your
+experience to bear upon the case," said the yearning father, with
+a note of pathetic appeal in his voice that touched his listener
+deeply.
+
+"Most assuredly," earnestly returned the physician; but an
+involuntary, though quickly repressed, sigh escaped him as he said
+it.
+
+Prof. Seabrook's keen ear detected it and a spasm of fear clutched
+his heart. But he would not voice it; he shrank from having it
+corroborated.
+
+"There is one thing more which could be done, which might,
+perhaps, result in giving Dorrie relief from the troublesome
+pain," said Dr. Stanley, after a moment of thought, adding: "I
+have been waiting for her to get stronger before suggesting it."
+
+"What is it?" briefly inquired his companion.
+
+The young man explained the operation, and the father shivered
+involuntarily.
+
+"That means great suffering--at least for a time," he said, with
+dry lips.
+
+"Yes," and Phillip Stanley's eyes grew very pitiful as they met
+the almost hopeless ones opposite him.
+
+"I cannot bear it!" cried his brother-in-law, passionately.
+
+There followed a somber silence of several minutes, during which
+each heart struggled in secret rebellion under the galling burden
+imposed upon it.
+
+"There is an alternative which we might try before attempting such
+radical treatment," Dr. Stanley at length remarked, with some
+hesitation. "It--at least it could do no harm, if--if you are
+willing to try."
+
+"Anything--anything that will spare my child to me and save her
+suffering," burst impetuously from William Seabrook's lips.
+
+"You have heard of--Christian Science?"
+
+"What!" demanded the astonished principal of Hilton Seminary,
+sitting suddenly erect and bending a look of scorn upon his
+companion. "You suggest such an absurd alternative as that to me,
+and for such a case as this!"
+
+"I know it sounds absurd; but, as I said before, it could at least
+do no harm."
+
+"The suggestion is ridiculous; I have no patience with it," was
+the sharp retort.
+
+"Well, it may seem ridiculous to you, but if it can cure one
+disease I do not know why it could not others," the physician
+mildly rejoined; and then he proceeded to relate the story which
+Katherine had told her teacher that same hour, but without
+mentioning any names.
+
+"Nonsense! It was simply hypnotism, mesmerism," said the elder man
+when he concluded.
+
+"No, it did not work at all like hypnotism," was the positive
+reply. "However, if you are opposed to trying it, there is nothing
+more to be said."
+
+"I am opposed to it, most decidedly," said the professor, almost
+harshly, and his brother wondered at his unusual mood. "I believe
+the whole thing--root, branch and practice--to be an invention of
+Satan himself, and I would not give it countenance under any
+circumstances."
+
+"Not even to save your nearest and dearest?" queried Phillip
+Stanley, and wholly unable to account for the excitement and
+irritability of his usually dignified and high-bred relative.
+
+The professor deigned no reply, but the obstinate frown upon his
+brow and the stern compression of his lips were sufficient warning
+that it would be useless to pursue the subject.
+
+"Well, it was only a suggestion, Will," the younger man said, in a
+friendly tone. "Of course, I have no real faith in the efficacy of
+the method myself; only, as I shrink from the operation on a
+delicate girl like Dorrie, it occurred to me that we might at
+least give Christian Science a trial. But I must be off to meet
+another appointment. I will be up again to-morrow morning to stay
+with Dorothy while you and Emilie go to church."
+
+He held out his hand, which his brother-in-law grasped and wrung.
+
+"You are a faithful friend, Phil. Don't think for a moment that I
+do not appreciate you; but I believe I've been out of sorts for
+several days," said the professor, with a deprecatory smile.
+
+"It's all right, old boy; good-by," was the cheery response, as
+the young man went out, softly closing the door after him, but
+with a weary look in his eyes which the other did not see.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+KATHERINE'S FIRST SABBATH AT HILTON.
+
+
+Katherine's first Sabbath at Hilton Seminary dawned a perfect
+winter morning, and, starting forth in good season, she sought the
+little hall on Grove Street, where the few Scientists of the city
+met each week to enjoy the service which has become so dear to the
+heart of every student of God's word, as spiritually interpreted
+according to Christian Science.
+
+She had carefully studied the lesson during the week, and was
+therefore prepared to enjoy to the utmost each section as its
+point was clearly brought out by the readers, to teach and bless;
+and so, when she again turned her steps homeward, she felt calmed,
+refreshed and strengthened for the duties that lay before her.
+
+As she was about to enter the building she encountered Prof. and
+Mrs. Seabrook, who also had just returned from church.
+
+The former glanced askance at her books, lifted his hat to her
+with frigid politeness, and passed on to his study.
+
+Mrs. Seabrook, however, paused and greeted her most cordially,
+whereupon Katherine inquired for Dorothy.
+
+"She was not quite as well this morning," replied the mother, an
+expression of care and weariness flitting over her sweet face. "My
+brother, Dr. Stanley, has been with her while we were at church,
+and I hope to find her better, for he always does her good.
+Dorothy was greatly attracted to you yesterday, Miss Minturn," she
+added, smiling, "and I hope you will find time to drop in to see
+her now and then."
+
+"Indeed I will; it will be a pleasure to me, for I love children,"
+Katherine replied, cordially, and much gratified to have
+yesterday's invitation repeated, while there was a feeling of deep
+tenderness in her heart for the long-suffering woman as she passed
+on to her room.
+
+After dinner she looked over the Bible lesson for the afternoon.
+She was dreading this ordeal somewhat, for she well knew how
+widely different is the old theological exposition of the first
+chapter of Genesis from its spiritual interpretation, as she had
+been taught it according to Christian Science, But she tried to
+feel that, if she was called upon to express an opinion, she would
+be led to speak wisely and yet be obedient to Prof. Seabrook's
+command not to "flaunt her views before the school."
+
+She hoped that he would ignore her altogether, and thus avoid an
+awkward situation for them both.
+
+When the class convened she was surprised to find Dorothy seated
+in her chair beside her father, and learned afterward that the
+girl was often present during the lessons, always giving the
+closest attention to what was said, even asking questions
+occasionally that puzzled wiser heads than hers.
+
+As was his custom, Prof. Seabrook opened the exercises with
+prayer, followed by a familiar hymn. Then he gave a short talk
+upon the first chapter of Genesis, as a whole, preliminary to a
+more general discussion of it.
+
+He showed himself to have been a critical student of the Bible,
+and his remarks were extremely interesting along the line of his
+own views. His rhetoric was flawless, his figures apt and
+beautiful, his points well made, and he held the undivided
+attention of everyone to the end.
+
+"I have given you this talk upon creation as a whole," he
+remarked, in conclusion, "because the subject is too intricate and
+vast to be discussed in detail--that would require much study and
+many sittings--and we will spend the remainder of the hour upon
+two questions: What is God? What is man and his relation to God?
+Miss Walton, will you tell us what God is, from your point of
+view?"
+
+Miss Walton instantly became confused. She had no clear ideas
+about God, and after nervously turning the leaves of her Bible for
+a moment and blushing furiously, finally said so. The principal
+called upon several others, with a similar result. Everyone loved
+to listen to him, for his graceful diction was like music in their
+ears, but when called upon to express their own opinions they were
+all, with a few exceptions, literally tongue-tied. Two or three of
+the more thoughtful ones made an attempt to define Deity, but
+their definitions, for the most part, were the hackneyed ones of
+old theology.
+
+The professor began to look rather weary, especially as he
+detected, here and there, a yawn behind an uplifted book. All at
+once a peculiar gleam leaped into his eyes.
+
+"Miss Minturn, what is your conception of God?" he inquired,
+turning abruptly to her.
+
+The question came almost as an electric shock to Katherine and
+brought the quick color to her cheeks.
+
+But she quelled this sense of disquiet instantly.
+
+"God is Spirit," she quietly replied.
+
+"You mean that God is a spirit," quickly corrected the professor.
+"That definition has already been given several times; but I am
+trying to ascertain your own conception of Deity. Why did you omit
+the article?"
+
+Katherine lifted her earnest brown eyes to him, and in them he
+read an expression of mingled surprise and appeal, and he knew, as
+well as if she had voiced her thought, that she remembered he had
+forbidden her to express her peculiar views and wished to obey him
+to the letter.
+
+But having put the question, he intended to have an answer of some
+kind, while he also experienced some curiosity as to whether she
+could give a comprehensive explanation of the term she had used.
+
+"If you purposely omitted the article," he resumed, as she was not
+quick to reply, "you must have had a reason for so doing; and,"--
+with a more courteous inflection--"as there is supposed to be
+perfect freedom in the class, both in asking questions and
+expressing opinions, we would like you to explain your position."
+
+"The term 'a spirit' implies one of a kind, or, one of many, does
+it not? But I understand God to be Infinite Spirit," Katherine
+replied, with quiet self-possession.
+
+"Well, what do you mean by 'infinite spirit?' Define 'spirit,' if
+you please."
+
+Katherine was amazed that he should thus pursue the subject. She
+wondered if he could be utterly ignorant of the scientific
+definition of God. She had supposed that he must have read
+something on the subject of Christian Science, or he would not
+have been so bitterly opposed to it, or, was he only trying to
+drive her into a corner?
+
+However, she saw there was no escape but to follow his lead. He
+had now given her license to speak, and she felt that she had no
+right to neglect her opportunity.
+
+"Spirit is Mind, Intelligence, Life," she said, using some of the
+terms she had employed in talking with Miss Reynolds the previous
+day, and which she thought would be readily understood by the
+class.
+
+"Why, Prof. Seabrook," here interposed one of the seniors, her
+face aglow, her eyes alight, "I like that definition of God. I
+never heard it before, but it appeals to me."
+
+The gentleman flushed slightly and acknowledged the observation
+with a grave bow, then inquired of Katherine: "And are you
+satisfied with that concept of God, Miss Minturn?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Don't you think it rather a vague, visionary idea of the
+Almighty?" queried the gentleman, with a scornful dilation of his
+thin nostrils. "Do you associate no thought of individuality or
+personality with Him?"
+
+"Do you mean as human beings are personal and individual?"
+Katherine respectfully inquired.
+
+"Well, I must at least have something more tangible than an
+unknown quantity for my God," he replied, evasively, as he
+hurriedly began to turn the leaves of his Bible in search of a
+text. "He is spoken of as a king, ruler, judge, and so forth, and
+those terms certainly convey the idea of personality."
+
+"But can you limit or outline Deity, sir? Would not that destroy
+the omnipresence of God?"
+
+Again the man changed color a trifle, while, as he continued to
+search the pages of his Bible, he became conscious of a sudden
+inward shock.
+
+The question had started a new train of thought. Certainly,
+infinity, omnipresence, could neither be limited nor outlined;
+those were self-evident facts.
+
+There was no yawning in the class now. The attention of everyone
+was riveted upon the speakers, while Dorothy leaned forward in her
+chair, her earnest eyes glancing from one face to the other, her
+eager ears drinking in their every word.
+
+"But what do you say to this passage from Hebrews, Miss Minturn,
+where Paul, speaking of Christ, calls Him the express image of
+His--God's--person?" [Footnote: Hebrews, 1-3.] demanded the
+professor--having found the text he was looking for--with a note
+of triumph in his tone which indicated that he had now propounded
+an unanswerable argument.
+
+"I have been told that the Greek word, which has been translated
+'person' in the text you have read, really means character, and it
+is so rendered in my Bible, which is the revised version,"
+Katherine replied, as she opened her book and found the passage.
+
+Now Prof. Seabrook, although he prided himself upon being strictly
+up to date in everything pertaining to his profession, had
+neglected to provide himself with the revised version of the New
+Testament. However, now that his attention was called to the fact,
+he remembered having heard this text and its change discussed
+among brother professors, but it had for the moment escaped his
+memory.
+
+Yet he was equal to the occasion, and no one would have suspected
+from his manner that he was deeply chagrined to find this young
+girl so well versed in the Scriptures and able to so logically
+sustain her position upon every point.
+
+"Ah!" he observed, after a moment of thought, and in his blandest
+tone, "I have a Greek Testament in my study and will look up the
+word later. I find we cannot take up the other question to-day, as
+our time has expired, and"--closing his books--"we will leave it
+for another lesson. The class is dismissed."
+
+He arose as he concluded, and the young ladies filed quietly out
+of the room; but, once beyond hearing, they gathered in groups to
+talk over the interesting discussion that had been so suddenly cut
+short.
+
+Katherine paused beside Dorothy's chair on her way out, and made
+some pleasant reference to their meeting of the previous day, and
+then would have passed on, but the girl threw out her hand and
+caught hers, thus detaining her.
+
+"You must have studied the Bible a great deal, Miss Minturn, to
+get such lovely thoughts about God," she said, in an eager tone.
+
+Katherine flushed, for she knew Prof. Seabrook was listening, and
+felt that she had already said enough regarding her views.
+
+"Yes, I am very fond of studying the Bible," she simply returned.
+
+"Papa," continued Dorothy, turning to him, "how could you say that
+Miss Minturn's idea of God is vague and visionary?"
+
+"It certainly seems so to me, dear," her father briefly returned.
+
+"Well, it doesn't to me," was the positive rejoinder; "not half
+so--so queer as to think of Him as a man, or three men all mixed
+up together in one, and able to be everywhere at once," and there
+was a look of thoughtfulness in the girl's large, blue eyes which
+betrayed a mind on the alert.
+
+"I think we will not talk any more about that now," said her
+father. "You must be tired from sitting here so long, and ought to
+rest."
+
+"You know I never get tired in the Sunday class, papa," cried
+Dorothy, and still clinging to Katherine, who had tried to release
+her hand, for she was anxious to escape further argument. "And,"
+she added, "I want to ask Miss Minturn another question."
+
+"I think I will have to run away, dear," Katherine interposed,
+"for it is almost tea time, you know."
+
+"Please--please! haven't you time to tell me just one thing more?"
+
+"Yes, I have time for that, but--" and she lifted a doubtful look
+to her principal.
+
+"Papa, may I ask her?" pleaded the girl, intuitively realizing
+that her new friend feared his disapproval.
+
+The man never refused his child anything in reason, and he could
+not now, although he felt secretly antagonistic, and his look was
+almost stern as he responded:
+
+"Very well, dear, if Miss Minturn will kindly have patience with
+you."
+
+"Well, then," and Dorothy eagerly turned again to Katherine, "if
+God is Mind, Intelligence and Life, as you said, how can man be
+His image and likeness?"
+
+For a moment Katherine was dismayed, in view of the depths
+involved in this query, and at a loss how to reply in a way to
+clearly convey the truth to this inquiring mind, while a slightly
+ironical smile curved the lips of the learned professor, as he
+said to himself:
+
+"This is a poser for the young woman."
+
+"You do not think the account of the creation of man as God's
+image and likeness refers to this imperfect mortal or physical
+body, do you, Dorothy?" she inquired, after a moment of thought.
+
+"Why, yes; I've always supposed it did. I've thought that perhaps
+God made him perfect in the first place and then, somehow, He let
+him get all wrong. I can't see how or why, though I've heard
+ministers and other people say 'it was for some wise purpose.'
+It's a great muddle, I think," Dorothy concluded, with a sigh.
+
+"No, God never let any of His children 'get wrong.' He could not,
+for 'all His ways are perfect,' you know. The man of God's
+creating is the spiritual image and likeness of Himself,"
+Katherine explained.
+
+"Oh-o! I begin to see. Why, papa, don't you see? That must be what
+that verse means--the express image of His person--His character!"
+and Dorothy turned to her father, her face all aglow as she
+grasped this new thought.
+
+"No, don't go just yet," she pleaded, as Katherine made another
+effort to release her hand. "Tell me this, please: if everybody
+became good, perfect in character, would their bodies grow
+perfect, too? would sick people get strong and well and happy?"
+
+"I believe God's Word teaches us so," said Katherine, softly, and
+wondering why Prof. Seabrook did not put a stop to a conversation
+which he must know was trespassing upon forbidden ground.
+
+"How could they? I wish I knew how," said the child, plaintively.
+
+"You know Paul tells us, 'Be ye transformed by the renewing of
+your mind,' and to 'put off the mortal and put on the immortal.'"
+
+"'Put off the mortal,'" repeated the girl, with a look of
+perplexity, "but how?"
+
+"It is a growth, dear; it is to put out of mind, one by one, every
+wrong thought, and think only good thoughts--God's thoughts--and
+in this way one grows good, pure and perfect. Let us take a simple
+illustration," Katherine continued, as she saw how eagerly the
+child was drinking in her words. "You have seen a lily bulb?"
+
+Dorothy nodded.
+
+"It is not at all pretty, and one would throw it away as of no
+account, if he did not know of the precious little germ and its
+possibilities hidden away inside. We know how, when the warm
+sunlight shines upon the spot where it has been put away in the
+earth, when the dews and soft rains fall upon it, something begins
+to happen down there in the dark; the ugly bulb begins to change,
+to soften and melt away; one by one the brown husks drop off and
+disappear as the tiny germ within, awakening to a new sense of
+life, starts upward to find more light and freedom and a purer
+atmosphere. Then two small leaves of living green--harbingers of
+better things--begin to unfold; after that a sturdy stalk, with a
+bud of promise, appears, and all the time reaching up, up towards
+the brightness beyond and above, until at last the pure, perfect
+and fragrant lily bursts into bloom."
+
+"That was very prettily told, Miss Minturn; but your figure is
+incomplete, for, after all, you have only a material flower--it is
+far from being spiritual or immortal," Prof. Seabrook here
+interposed.
+
+"Ah!" said Katherine, lifting a pair of sweetly serious eyes to
+him, "it is only a simple illustration--a little parable pointing
+to spiritual development and perfection, and the pure and flawless
+lily is but the type of that which mortal 'eye hath not seen.' The
+homely bulb corresponds to the mortal man, wrapped up in the
+density and husks of materiality; the tiny 'germ is the symbol of
+that ray or spark of immortality that is in every human
+consciousness and which, governed by the perfect law of Life,
+'whose eternal mandate is growth,' [Footnote: "Science and
+Health," page 520.] and nourished by the sunlight of divine Love,
+puts off, one by one, the husks, or the mortal man's wrong ways of
+thinking and living, and, ever reaching Godward, puts on or
+unfolds first the tiny leaves of living green, then the stalk and
+bud, and, last, the white flower of purity, which is the image and
+likeness of God; and this image and likeness is immortal."
+
+"Oh, what a lovely--lovely story!" breathed Dorothy, with luminous
+eyes. "Then, if one never had any but good thoughts, perfect
+thoughts, one would grow to be perfect and spiritual."
+
+"That is what I think the Bible teaches."
+
+"I think it is beautiful. I never heard anybody talk like this
+before!" cried the child, with a joyful ring in her tones. "And
+now tell me how--"
+
+Katherine laughed out musically, and, stooping, kissed the small
+hand that she was still holding.
+
+"You dear child! do you know how long we have been talking?" she
+said. "I think we must stop right here, and--I hope Prof. Seabrook
+does not think I have said too much," she concluded, glancing at
+the man who stood like a statue, with an inscrutable look on his
+high-bred face.
+
+He made no reply, and the situation might have become awkward if
+Dorothy had not exclaimed:
+
+"No, indeed; you haven't said half enough; and will you tell me
+some more things that you believe, another time?"
+
+"If--your father gives me permission," Katherine replied, with
+heightened color. "Now I must go, for I am sure the bell will ring
+in a few minutes."
+
+"Will you--may I kiss you before you go?" begged the girl, who was
+used to much petting from everyone, and lifting her pale face to
+the bright one looking down upon her and which seemed to radiate
+love.
+
+"Yes, indeed," said Katherine, and heartily returned the caress.
+
+"Now, good-by," she added, and, with a respectful bow to her
+principal, left the room, whispering to herself as she tried to
+put out of thought the misshapen little figure in the chair:
+
+"God never made one of His children imperfect. He made man
+upright, and there is no power apart from God."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+MATERIA MEDICA AND MIRACLES.
+
+
+The days and weeks sped swiftly by, Katherine gradually becoming
+mentally acclimated, so to speak, amid an adverse environment. She
+did not make many acquaintances, for most of the students still
+held aloof from her; but she was content, even happy, for, with a
+stanch friend in Miss Reynolds, whom she found most congenial, and
+with whom she spent much of her leisure time, she did not miss
+other companionship so much.
+
+Sadie, her roommate, was an affectionate and kind-hearted girl;
+but being of an indolent, ease-loving temperament, she was often a
+trial to Katherine, who loved order and system and believed it to
+be the duty of everyone to maintain them.
+
+The girl had often attempted to lean upon her in the preparation
+of some of her lessons, now and then asking to see her problems in
+mathematics and her translations in German and Latin. But this was
+something that Katherine would not lend herself to, except in so
+far as, occasionally, to remind her of some forgotten point in a
+rule that would suggest a way to work out the knotty problem, or
+to give her a cue as to case or tense, that would assist in the
+translation.
+
+While she shrank from wronging her, even in thought, there were
+times when she felt sure that she had taken advantage of her
+absence from the room to look over her papers and copy from them.
+
+"I cannot let you see my work," she said one day, when, after
+repeated but unheeded hints, Sadie had asked her outright to allow
+her to look at her problems, saying that she had not had time to
+do them for herself. "It would not be honest," she continued,
+determined to settle the matter once for all; "it would simply be
+showing Miss Reynolds my work and claiming it as your own."
+
+"Now I call that downright mean and disobliging," Sadie returned,
+with an injured air, but flushing uncomfortably and forgetting for
+the moment the many other acts of kindness Katherine had shown
+her. "Of course, I don't expect you to do it every day, but just
+this once, so that I can make a good showing in the class, could
+do no harm; and, honey, I'll promise to spend all my recreation
+time, this afternoon, going over the work for myself."
+
+"But that would be like using a key, which is forbidden, you know.
+No, Sadie, I can't do it," Katherine reiterated, firmly but
+kindly. "It may seem 'disobliging' to you, but you know that is
+not my motive. I feel that I should be doing you a personal wrong,
+besides deceiving others, to allow you to lean on me in any such
+way. You have just as much time to prepare your lessons as I have;
+you are naturally quick and bright, and, if you would spend fewer
+hours in shopping and visiting, there is no reason why you cannot
+make as good a record for yourself as anyone else. One must do
+one's own work, or be robbed of mental capacity and strength if
+one depends upon another."
+
+"Oh, shucks!" retorted Sadie, with an impatient shrug and a very
+red face, as she employed the Southern localism, "don't preach to
+me. I reckon my 'mental capacity' will hold out long enough to
+pull me through Hilton." And with this sharp and angry thrust she
+flounced out of the room, banging the door after her.
+
+This was the first time there had been an open rupture between
+them, although on two or three occasions, when Katherine had
+quietly resisted being imposed upon beyond a certain limit, the
+girl had manifested something of her hot Southern temper. She had
+always gotten over it very quickly, however, and harmony had been
+restored.
+
+Katherine regretted this "rift in the lute," but she knew that she
+was doing right, and, after a few minutes spent in silently
+declaring that "error is not power and is always overcome with
+good," she serenely resumed her study.
+
+For several days the relations between the roommates were somewhat
+strained, although Katherine bravely strove to ignore the fact and
+conduct herself as usual; but Sadie spent very little time in her
+room, except during study hours, when no conversation was allowed,
+and manifested in other ways that she had neither forgotten nor
+forgiven.
+
+Meantime Dorothy had been ailing more than usual, and, at Dr.
+Stanley's suggestion, a consultation of physicians was called,
+when the young man proposed and explained an operation which he
+had seen performed abroad, and which he had previously mentioned
+to his brother-in-law.
+
+The matter was discussed at length, and Dorothy was subjected to a
+careful examination, and, though all shrank from such a trying
+ordeal for the delicate girl, the five learned M.D.s agreed that
+it was the one thing, humanly speaking, left to try. That was all
+that could be said about it--it might, or might not, prove a
+success.
+
+It was a heart-burdened trio, composed of the father, mother and
+Dr. Stanley, that assembled in Prof. Seabrook's study, after the
+departure of the other physicians, to talk over the weighty
+matter.
+
+"Well, Emelie, what have you to say about it?" the elder man
+inquired of his wife, in a voice that was husky from suppressed
+feeling.
+
+"Oh, Will, pray do not put the responsibility of a decision upon
+me!" Mrs. Seabrook returned, with quivering lips.
+
+"What does your heart dictate, dear?" her husband pursued, in a
+tender tone.
+
+"Oh, my heart rebels against any further suffering," she said,
+with a convulsive sob.
+
+Tears started to the eyes of both men at this pathetic wail from
+the mother, and which found its echo in each heart.
+
+"Suppose," said Dr. Stanley, after a moment of painful silence,
+"we let Dorothy decide for herself. She is thoughtful beyond her
+years, and I think she should have a voice in the matter. Let the
+case be frankly stated to her, and we will abide by her decision.
+To be plain with you, I could not bring myself to perform this
+operation without her consent."
+
+This proposal met with the approval of Prof. and Mrs. Seabrook,
+and both appeared relieved when the young man said he would take
+it upon himself to broach the subject to the girl.
+
+This he did with great tact and tenderness, and, after a grave and
+quiet talk with her uncle, in whom she placed unbounded
+confidence, Dorothy said she was ready for anything that he
+regarded as necessary, for she knew that he had only her welfare
+at heart.
+
+But Dr. Stanley said there must be a time of "building-up" to get
+adequate strength, meantime she must try to be as happy as
+possible and think only pleasant thoughts.
+
+"I will try, Uncle Phillip," said the girl, with a trustful look
+in her eyes, "but"--a wistful expression sweeping over her thin
+face--"don't you think it is strange there is no such way of
+healing, nowadays, as when Jesus was here?"
+
+"Yes, Dorrie, I do. I have often asked myself that same question,"
+replied her companion, gravely.
+
+"How lovely it would be if there was some one living now who could
+say to me, 'Take up thy bed and walk,' and I could do it," she
+continued, with a note of yearning in her voice that smote sharply
+on her listener's heart. "Don't you believe that when Jesus went
+away He meant to have people keep on healing, and teaching others
+how to heal, just as He had done?"
+
+"Perhaps He did, pet; but you know everybody thinks that those
+were 'days of miracles,' which were simply intended to establish
+the divinity of the Savior and His authority to teach the new
+gospel."
+
+"Yes, I know everybody says that whenever I ask anything about
+it," Dorothy returned, with an involuntary shrug of impatience,
+"but, somehow, it doesn't seem fair to me that all sick people
+cannot be healed in the same way. Jesus' way was certainly the
+best way to cure people--so much better than making them take
+horrid medicines and--and cutting them up with knives," and a
+shiver ran over her slight form as she concluded.
+
+"Let us talk of something else, Dorrie. I do not like to have you
+dwell upon that subject," said her uncle, with a spasmodic
+contraction of his lips.
+
+"Well, I will try not to," she said, with a faint sigh. "But
+truly, Uncle Phil, I can't help thinking that it was never
+intended that Jesus' way should be stopped any more than the 'new
+gospel,' as you call it, was meant to be forgotten, or lost, after
+His resurrection. I think that the healing was a part of the 'new
+gospel.'"
+
+"Well, Miss Thoughtful, that is certainly a good argument,"
+returned her companion, smiling into the earnest, uplifted eyes.
+"But who has been talking to you to set you to reasoning so deeply
+on the subject?"
+
+He was wondering if Katherine Minturn might not have dropped a
+seed of her doctrine into the receptive mind of his niece.
+
+"Nobody--I just thought it out for myself. You see I can't do much
+but think, and I often get very puzzled about God and the queer
+things He lets happen. You know it says in the Bible that He is
+'too pure to behold Iniquity,' or evil--and 'does not regard it
+with any degree of allowance'; and yet there seems to be more sin,
+sickness and dreadful accidents than anything else in the world."
+
+"It is a mystery, I confess; but what makes you think that Jesus
+intended that His way of healing should be continued after His
+ascension?" inquired her uncle, who was deeply interested in the
+child's reasoning.
+
+"Why, you see, just before He went away He had a talk with His
+disciples and gave them some last commands. He told them to go
+everywhere and preach to everybody--to 'heal the sick, raise the
+dead, and cast out sin or devils.' Now, Uncle Phil, that command
+is all one--the first part of it says 'heal the sick, raise the
+dead,' then comes the rest of it--'cast out sin;' and I don't see
+what right people have to pick it to pieces and say He didn't mean
+them to obey any but the last part of it."
+
+"I see," nodded the young man, as she paused to impress her
+thought upon him.
+
+"Well, then He told them that everybody who believed what He
+preached would be able to do the same things. Don't you remember
+He said--'Teach them to observe'--and observe means to practice--
+'all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' Those were His very
+words. Now don't you think that meant to heal in His way instead
+of using drugs and all sorts of queer things that the Bible
+doesn't say anything about?" and Dorothy bent an eager, inquiring
+look upon her uncle.
+
+"Where do you find all that?" questioned Phillip Stanley, and thus
+evading a direct reply.
+
+But what she had said had set him thinking of arguments along the
+same line which Mrs. Minturn had used, during some of their
+discussions on board the Ivernia.
+
+Dorothy shot a roguish glance up at him.
+
+"I guess you don't know your Bible very well, do you, Uncle
+Phillip?" she said, laughing. "But when you go home please read
+the last six verses of the last chapter of Mark, and then the last
+two verses of the last chapter of Matthew, and see for yourself if
+what Jesus said about healing the sick isn't just as strong as
+what He said about preaching to sinners."
+
+"All right, I will; but, by Jove, Dorrie! what a profound little
+theologian you are getting to be!" laughingly returned the man as,
+with a caressing hand, he smoothed back the golden hair from her
+forehead. "What makes you bother your brain with such perplexing
+questions?"
+
+"I suppose one reason is because I've been sick so long and nobody
+does me any real good. Oh! I shouldn't have said that to you, when
+you try so hard," Dorrie interposed, flushing. "But I like to talk
+about such things, and you are very good to talk with me. Papa
+used to; but, lately, he doesn't seem to like to. You ought to
+hear Miss Minturn, though."
+
+"Miss Minturn!" repeated Phillip Stanley, with an inward start.
+
+"Yes. I don't believe you know who she is. She is a new student,
+and she is just lovely," said Dorothy, with animation.
+
+"Does she talk with you about these things?" inquired Dr. Stanley,
+and recalling what Katherine had told him regarding having been
+forbidden to advance her peculiar views while she was a student at
+Hilton.
+
+"I never heard her say anything about what we have been talking of
+to-day," Dorothy replied. "I'm going to ask her, though, what she
+thinks, sometime. But papa asked her some questions once in the
+Sunday class, and her ideas about God and the way people ought to
+live are beautiful. She has been to see me several times, and she
+always brings me a lovely flower of some kind--a rose or lily, and
+once the sweetest orchid; only one at a time, but always such a
+beauty. I love to look at it when she is gone, and it almost seems
+as if she had left part of herself behind."
+
+"That is just like her dainty ladyship," Phillip Stanley observed
+to himself, and Dorrie continued:
+
+"Sometimes others have been here when she has come, and other
+times I've felt too weak to talk; but--it is very strange!--I
+never have that tired feeling in my back when she is here, and she
+is always so bright and cheery I forget the pain and feel so happy
+and--and rested. Oh! must you go. Uncle Phillip?" she concluded,
+regretfully, as he arose and took up his hat.
+
+"Yes, dear, I've made you a long call, and now I really must get
+back to the office," he said, as he bent his lips to hers for his
+accustomed farewell.
+
+The girl twined her arms around his neck.
+
+"You are very good to me, Uncle Phillip, and I love you," she
+murmured, softly, "and when you go away I always count the hours
+'til you come again."
+
+"Well! well! I begin to think I am a person of considerable
+importance," he rejoined, in a playful tone.
+
+"You 'begin to think,'" she retorted, roguishly; "haven't you ever
+thought it before? I'm not quite sure that you are as modest as
+you pretend to be. But, Uncle Phil--"
+
+"Yes?"
+
+"Will you look up those verses and tell me what you think, the
+next time you come?"
+
+"I promise you I will, Dorrie; and now au revoir!"
+
+He touched the bell to call the nurse, then waved her a last good-
+by and quietly left the room.
+
+Phillip Stanley did not, indeed, "know his Bible very well," and
+had spent very little time conning its pages since starting out in
+life for himself. Like many another who has been rigidly reared
+under the vague doctrines of "old theology," he had, at an early
+age, become both restive and skeptical. This state of mind had
+grown more pronounced as he had advanced in his profession and
+been brought in such close touch with suffering and dying
+humanity. Thus he had long since ceased to attend church, and,
+having found no comfort in the Scriptures--which seemed to him to
+portray a stern dictator and relentless judge rather than a
+merciful and loving Father--he had resolved to live his life as
+nearly in accord with his own highest conception of honor and
+rectitude as possible, become an ornament to and an authority in
+his profession, do what good he could along, the way, and not
+puzzle his brain trying to solve the perplexing problems of this
+life and of an unknowable future.
+
+But to-day, on his way back to the city, he found himself thinking
+more seriously of these things than for many years, and, upon
+reaching his office and finding no one awaiting him, his first act
+was to take from an upper shelf his long neglected Bible and read
+the passages which Dorothy had named to him.
+
+They appealed to him as never before. Every word bristled with a
+new meaning, and, becoming deeply interested after reading the
+last two verses of Matthew, he began the book of Mark and did not
+leave it until he reached the end.
+
+"H-m! I begin to see what Mrs. Minturn founded some of her
+arguments upon," he said, as the striking of the clock warned him
+of his dinner hour. "Well, I wonder, were those cases 'miracles'--
+just supernatural wonders, performed merely to prove Jesus'
+authority to preach a new gospel? or were they 'governed by a
+demonstrable Principle,' as she affirms, brought to earth for
+suffering humanity to learn and practice, and so be redeemed from
+its sin-cursed bondage?
+
+"There certainly ought to have been a panacea provided for all
+disease," he resumed, after a moment of deep thought. "But there
+is none to-day--at least materia medica has never found one, and
+that is a mortifying fact to be obliged to admit after over four
+thousand years of investigation and experiment. Poor Dorrie! I'd
+really like to make a test of her case!"
+
+He put down his book with a sigh and then went out to his evening
+meal, a troubled expression on his handsome face.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+KATHERINE AND THE JUNIOR LEAGUE.
+
+
+Soon after entering Hilton Seminary, Katherine was invited, as was
+customary, to become a member of the "Junior League," a secret
+club or society organized and sustained by the junior class. Its
+object was twofold. First: improvement, to keep themselves
+informed of and in touch with current events and literature; and,
+second: sociability.
+
+But it was hinted, now and then, by some of the more serious-
+minded members, that "a rollicking good time" had more attractions
+for the majority of its constituents than anything else.
+
+Their meetings were held once a fortnight, when some member was
+expected to read a paper on a subject previously selected by a
+committee appointed for that purpose, after which a short time was
+spent in a general discussion of the theme, then the remainder of
+the evening was given over to social enjoyment; or, occasionally,
+to "a spread," which is so dear to every boarding school girl's
+heart.
+
+Twice during the year the league formally entertained the faculty
+and the "Senior League," a similar organization, which as often
+returned these courtesies.
+
+Katherine accepted the invitation with thanks, and at once threw
+herself heartily into the methods employed to entertain the club,
+particularly into the literary work, always carefully preparing
+herself upon the subject to be discussed. But she soon found that
+the main object of the organization was being perverted, the
+topics being superficially written up and argued, except by a very
+few. Less and less attention was being devoted to improvement and
+more to a good time, together with much school gossip, until the
+meetings were fast becoming a farce.
+
+She deeply regretted this, and talked it over with some others as
+earnest as herself, but without achieving any satisfactory
+results. Upon one or two occasions she gave a thoughtfully
+prepared synopsis of the subject, but these efforts were received
+with shrugs, nudges and significant smiles and glances; and, while
+no one was openly discourteous to her, it was evident that, with a
+few exceptions, she was still regarded as a person to be shunned
+even by her own club.
+
+One evening, on making her appearance, she observed that there was
+an unusual flutter among the wilder members of the league, and
+that she at once became the object of their curious regard.
+
+The exercises progressed as usual until the discussion was over,
+when, as was the custom, the president called upon the chairman of
+the literary committee to announce the topic and the name of the
+member to treat it for the next meeting.
+
+The chairman arose and said, while an ominous silence fell upon
+the room:
+
+"Miss Minturn has been appointed to give us a paper for our next
+gathering, and the subject chosen is, 'Christian Science and Its
+Transcendental Tendency.'"
+
+An audible titter ran around the room as this announcement was
+made, and every eye was fastened upon Katherine, who instantly
+suspected the situation had been planned for the sole purpose of
+making her uncomfortably conspicuous and bringing her beloved
+Science before the club simply to be ridiculed.
+
+She was naturally quick-tempered, though years of discipline had
+taught her how to hold herself well in hand upon most occasions.
+But now, for the moment, her whole soul arose in arms and was
+ready to flash. forth in fiery indignation.
+
+She flushed crimson and a dangerous gleam leaped into her usually
+gentle eyes, while she trembled from head to foot.
+
+"See! it has hit her in a tender spot!" whispered Ollie Grant to
+Sadie Minot. "Look out, now, for a tempest from Miss Propriety!
+Won't it be fun?"
+
+But the unaccustomed emotion passed almost as quickly as it had
+come. It was like the flash of summer heat that is followed by no
+thunder. Her momentary resentment was bravely quelled, and, after
+a brief denial of error, she arose to her feet, the flush still
+hot on her cheeks, but a sunny smile parting her red lips and
+chasing the temper from her eyes.
+
+"Lady President and comrades," she began, bowing first to the
+presiding officer, then to her companions, and there was not the
+slightest evidence of anger in her sweetly modulated tones, "there
+is nothing that I love more than Christian Science, and if I
+thought you also were really interested in it, and I could,
+consistently, give you some information regarding it, it would
+give me great pleasure to do so. But you are not interested in it-
+-you do not believe in it; many of you think it absurdly
+transcendental, as your topic indicates. Thus you have nothing but
+ridicule for it. So you can understand that what is very sacred to
+me I could not discuss in such an antagonistic atmosphere.
+Besides--"
+
+"Oh, but we really do want to learn something about it," here
+interposed Ollie Grant, as she gave Sadie a nudge with her elbow,
+"and--and"--with mock demureness--"if we have wrong ideas about
+it, why, you can perhaps set us right."
+
+"I am sure it would be very interesting," Clara Follet observed,
+with a sly wink at her nearest neighbor; "it is so--mysterious
+and--creepy; like spiritualism, you know."
+
+Katherine had seen both nudge and wink; but neither now had power
+to move her to any feeling save that of compassion for the
+thoughtless offenders.
+
+"You are entirely mistaken, Miss Follet," she gently returned.
+"Christian Science and spiritualism are as far removed from each
+other as the Poles. But I repeat, I cannot give you a paper on the
+subject you have assigned me."
+
+"Do I understand, Miss Minturn, that you absolutely refuse to
+respond to the appointment?" gravely inquired the president, while
+whispered comments and an excited rustle were heard from various
+parts of the room.
+
+"Miss Walton, I must," said Katherine, firmly.
+
+"Do you know the penalty of such a refusal?" the presiding officer
+queried, while Katherine started and colored crimson as she
+continued: "Any member of the league refusing to comply with an
+appointment made by its committee is subject to expulsion."
+
+"Provided there is no good reason for such a refusal, I believe
+the by-law reads," here interposed a young lady who was beginning
+to feel sorry for Katherine, for she knew that she was simply
+being "made game of" by those who held her religious belief in
+derision.
+
+"Yes, certainly. If you can give a good and sufficient reason for
+the stand you have taken, Miss Minturn, you will, of course, be
+excused," the president supplemented, realizing there was
+something in the atmosphere which she did not understand, as she
+had no knowledge of the plot that had been concocted by the
+mischief-loving element of the league.
+
+"I think I have already given a good reason," Katherine observed,
+with quiet dignity; "Christian Science is my religion, and I have
+been asked to treat it as transcendentalism, and--I am inclined to
+think--in a perverted sense of that term. Can I be expected to
+hold my religion up for ridicule? I do not refuse the appointment
+to write a paper; it is the subject that I decline."
+
+"I claim that Miss Minturn's reason is 'good and sufficient,' and
+I move that she be excused," said Miss Clark, the young lady who
+had previously spoken in Katherine's behalf.
+
+The excitement was increasing, and the president was obliged to
+rap vigorously for order before she could make herself heard.
+
+"Does anyone second Miss Clark's motion?" she inquired.
+
+It was somewhat timidly seconded by a weak voice from one corner
+of the room; but when put to vote the hands were three to one
+against it.
+
+Could it be possible, Katherine asked herself in sudden dismay,
+that certain members of the league were taking this way to get rid
+of her? Why, then, had they invited her to join it in the first
+place?
+
+"It seems, Miss Minturn, that you cannot be excused," Miss Walton
+observed, with a deprecatory smile.
+
+Katherine did not mean to be driven out of the club in such an
+underhanded manner if she could avoid it; neither would she
+violate her conscience.
+
+"I shall be obliged to maintain my position, nevertheless," she
+responded, after a moment of thought. Then she resumed, in a tone
+of regret: "And since the league does not see fit to release me
+because of my conscientious scruples, which, it seems to me,
+should be an unquestionable motive, I will state that Prof.
+Seabrook, who also does not favor my views, has enjoined me to
+silence upon the subject while I am a student at Hilton."
+
+"Comrades, that settles the matter without further action or
+discussion," said the president, bringing her gavel down with an
+imperative stroke; for this last announcement had created a breezy
+flutter among the mischief-brewers, who had planned to have "great
+sport" a fortnight hence.
+
+"And now," observed Katherine, again rising and addressing the
+chair with charming frankness, "I stand ready to prepare an
+article upon any other subject which the committee may assign me."
+
+"Is the committee ready with another topic?" the president
+inquired.
+
+That body conferred together for several minutes, after which the
+chairman stated with ill-concealed mirth, which appeared to be
+contagious, that a paper on "Transcendentalism" would be expected
+from Miss Minturn a fortnight from that night.
+
+As she sat down titters and giggles were audible in various parts
+of the room, and Miss Walton's mallet again fell heavily upon the
+table, while she looked both distressed and indignant.
+
+Before she could speak, however, a tall, handsome girl sprang to
+her feet and turned to her with blazing eyes.
+
+"Lady President," she began, in a clear, ringing tone, "I rise to
+express my disapproval of the proceedings of this business
+meeting. While I am not at all in sympathy with the subject that
+has been broached here this evening, I believe in fair play, and
+that an insult offered to anyone because of her religious belief
+should not for a moment be tolerated. I shall feel justified in
+withdrawing from the league if such discourteous treatment is
+continued. And"--glancing at Katherine--"I also wish to express my
+admiration for Miss Minturn for so bravely standing by her colors.
+She might have shielded herself behind Prof. Seabrook's injunction
+in the first place and so settled the matter at once; but she made
+it a question of conscience for a cause that she loves, and was
+not afraid to say so. And now, I move that, if the last-named
+topic is distasteful to her, she be allowed to choose one for
+herself."
+
+A profound hush had fallen upon the room during this spirited
+speech, and at its close there was a vigorous applause from a few
+of her listeners, showing something of a reaction of feeling in
+favor of Katherine, who observed, however, with a pang at her
+heart, that her roommate, Sadie, was not among the number.
+
+"Is Miss Felton's motion seconded?" queried the president, with a
+smile and nod of approval at that young lady.
+
+Katherine, who had been doing some rapid thinking during the last
+few minutes, was on her feet again before anyone could speak.
+
+"Lady President, pray allow me to thank Miss Felton most heartily
+for her kind espousal of my cause," she said, bestowing a luminous
+smile upon her new friend, "but I would be very sorry to have any
+unpleasantness arise in the league, and may I ask that no further
+action be taken in the matter? I know that many people have a
+mistaken idea of what Christian Science is, and regard it and its
+adherents with feelings that are regretted when they become more
+enlightened on the subject. And now"--a mirthful gleam in her
+brown eyes--"let me add that I cheerfully accept the last-named
+subject assigned me, and will do my best to elucidate it for the
+benefit of the club at our next meeting."
+
+As she concluded and sat down there was another round of applause,
+more pronounced this time; while some of the ringleaders in the
+mischief looked as if they felt that the tables were being turned
+against themselves.
+
+The president appeared immensely relieved to have what had
+threatened to be a stormy scene so tactfully smoothed over, and,
+as there was no further business to be transacted, she gave the
+signal for formalities to cease and sociability to begin.
+
+Katherine at once became the center of an admiring and condoling
+group, whose attitude towards her had undergone a radical change
+since the brave championship of Miss Felton, who was a power not
+only in her own class but in the whole school.
+
+Katherine greeted everyone graciously, but met all expressions of
+sympathy and indignation with laughing protests, and as soon as
+she could do so without appearing unappreciative, excused herself,
+upon the plea that she must look over a lesson before the retiring
+bell rang, and slipped away to her room.
+
+It is not to be wondered at that a few bitter tears forced
+themselves over her hot cheeks when she found herself alone, for
+she had been sorely tried. The struggle with her momentary feeling
+of indignation and a sense of personal injury had been severe,
+while she had also been deeply hurt by Sadie's evident sympathy
+with those who were in the plot against her.
+
+But she resolutely set herself at work to conquer these emotions
+and then vigorously attacked the unlearned lesson, after which she
+retired, but not to sleep, for thought was busy with what had
+occurred and with plans for the next league meeting.
+
+Sadie did not put in an appearance until some time after the gas
+had been turned off, when she silently undressed and crept into
+bed, and, shortly after, Katherine fell asleep.
+
+Some hours later she was suddenly awakened by what sounded like a
+moan of pain.
+
+She sat up in bed and listened; but, hearing nothing more, thought
+she must have been mistaken, and was about to lie down again,
+when, from beneath the covers of the bed, in the opposite corner
+of the room, she was sure she heard her roommate groan.
+
+"Sadie! what is the matter?" she inquired.
+
+There was no verbal answer, but another moan smote upon her ears.
+
+Katherine sprang out of bed and went to her.
+
+"Sadie, tell me, what is the trouble?" she said, laying a gentle
+hand upon her shoulder.
+
+"Oh, I have a horrible toothache," she girl replied, adding: "I
+did not mean to wake you, but the pain is simply unbearable," and,
+throwing back the covers, she sat up and rocked to and fro in
+agony.
+
+"What can I do for you?" Katherine kindly inquired, while she
+mentally declared that "God never made pain, nor man to suffer
+pain."
+
+"Oh, I don't know," was the helpless rejoinder. "I think there is
+a bottle of oil of cloves somewhere in my upper drawer, if you
+will find it for me."
+
+Katherine lighted the candle, kept for emergencies, and searched
+for the desired remedy amid the heterogeneous collection in the
+drawer, but failed to find it. Then she looked in various other
+places suggested by Sadie, with the same result, greatly to the
+girl's disappointment.
+
+"Oh, I remember--I lent it to Carrie Hill last week! What shall I
+do?" wailed the sufferer in a voice of despair; for Miss Hill
+roomed at the top of the opposite wing, and just at that moment
+the clock in the tower of the building struck the hour of three.
+
+She was now wrought up to a state of excessive nervous excitement,
+and it looked as if there would be no more sleep for either of
+them that night.
+
+"Haven't you something--some camphor or salts, Katherine? I can't
+stand this any longer," and Sadie was now sobbing from mingled
+nervousness and suffering.
+
+"No, dear. I never use anything of the kind," Katherine replied.
+
+"Do you never put anything in a tooth when it aches?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Do you ever have the toothache?"
+
+"I used to when I was a child; very seldom now."
+
+"What do you do to stop it?" was the impatient query, accompanied
+by a prolonged groan.
+
+"Treat it mentally."
+
+"Shucks!" and Miss Minot threw herself violently back upon her
+pillows with an air of personal injury mingled with supreme
+contempt, while Katherine kept on working for harmony in her own
+thought.
+
+"Katherine, I simply cannot stand this until morning," the girl
+cried again, after a minute or two of forced endurance, as a fresh
+paroxysm seized her.
+
+"Shall I go to the matron and ask her for something for you?"
+Katherine inquired.
+
+"Oh, I don't know; it seems a shame to send you way down to her at
+this unearthly hour. It is bad enough to keep you awake," said
+Sadie, remorsefully.
+
+"Never mind me, dear. I am willing to do anything you wish, and
+I'm not afraid to go anywhere in the building," was the kind
+response.
+
+"Perhaps if I had some water to hold in my mouth it might relieve
+me," Sadie suggested.
+
+Katherine brought her a glass and she filled her mouth, but
+expelled the water almost instantly, as the bare and sensitive
+nerve rebelled against such radical treatment.
+
+"Can't you do something?" she gasped, clutching her companion's
+arm with a spasmodic grip.
+
+"I'll go to Miss Williams, or some of the girls for--" Katherine
+began.
+
+"No, I can't bear to make a stir--oh, heavens! oh! treat me--your
+way--anything--anything to stop this unbearable torture!" and
+Sadie buried her face in her pillow to smother the moans she could
+not repress.
+
+"Indeed I will," said Katherine, with a heart-throb of
+thankfulness for the appeal; and, dropping her face upon her
+hands, she went to work with all her understanding for the
+sufferer.
+
+Ten minutes passed; then it seemed as if the intervals between the
+moans grew longer. Another five minutes and she was sure that the
+hand upon her arm was relaxing its convulsive grasp. Not long
+after the restless form grew still, the hot hand on her arm
+slipped down upon the bed, and when the clock in the tower struck
+the half hour after three, the regular breathing of the girl told
+of quiet and restful sleep.
+
+But Katherine continued to work for several minutes longer, then
+stole softly to her own couch, where she also was soon locked in
+slumber, and neither awoke again until the rising bell rang its
+imperative summons to the duties of a new day.
+
+Katherine was nearly dressed before her roommate manifested any
+inclination to rise. She looked bright and serene, however, and
+there was no swelling or other evidence of the previous night's
+broken rest and suffering.
+
+"I believe I'm all right, honey," she thoughtfully observed, after
+watching Katherine's operations in silence for a while.
+
+"Of course you are," was the cheery response, with a happy heart-
+throb at the old familiar form of address.
+
+"That was a right smart rumpus, though," Sadie added, in her
+Southern phraseology.
+
+"The less said about it the better," was the brief reply.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because it is nothing now, and you neither need nor wish to live
+it over."
+
+"I reckon I don't. But, do you believe you cured me?"
+
+"I know that I did not; but I also know that God healed you."
+
+"But you did something."
+
+"Yes--what I did was--well, you may call it prayer, if you like.
+But I think we must not talk about it because of Prof. Seabrook's
+command, which I am inclined to think I may have already broken in
+the letter if not in the spirit," said Katherine, gravely.
+
+"Well--I don't--know. It all seems very queer to me!" Sadie
+observed, reflectively, as she slipped out of bed and began to
+dress. "I wouldn't have believed I could feel so well this morning
+though. I'm as fresh as a daisy, and my face isn't at all swollen.
+I can't understand it. I'm inclined to think that--after all, the
+ache just ached itself out and left of its own accord."
+
+Katherine smiled faintly but did not pursue the subject.
+
+"I'm downright obliged to you, Katherine, for being so kind and
+patient with me in the night," the girl resumed, after a few
+moments of silence; "and--honey," suddenly facing her and looking
+her straight in the eyes, though her cheeks were crimson, "I feel
+mighty mean over our tiff the other day, and--and about what
+happened last night in the league."
+
+"Never mind, Sadie--it is all past now--" Katherine began.
+
+"But I shall mind; I'm going to eat the whole of my humble pie,"
+interposed Sadie, between a laugh and a sob, "for I--I was in the
+plot with the others. You see, I hadn't quite gotten over the
+other affair, and--"
+
+"But you have now, Sadie?" Katherine interrupted, "wistfully.
+
+"How could I help it when you've been so perfectly sweet? Only I
+want--"
+
+"Well, then I'm happy!" cried Katherine, with a joyous laugh, "and
+I'm not going to let you eat any more 'humble pie,' for--the North
+and the South are reunited, and that cancels everything."
+
+"Katherine, you are the dearest--" But Sadie's voice broke
+suddenly, and to cover her emotion she bounded into the closet and
+began a vigorous search for some needed article.
+
+There were fair winds and cloudless skies after that, and nothing
+more was heard from the defective tooth, which, later, was filled
+and preserved for future usefulness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+TRANSCENDENTALISM AS ELUCIDATED FOR THE JUNIOR LEAGUE.
+
+
+The following two weeks were unmarked by anything of special
+interest, and Katherine found her time fully occupied in attending
+to her daily duties and preparing for the next league meeting.
+
+For a moment, after the second subject, "Transcendentalism," had
+been assigned her, she felt "old Adam" beginning to stir
+resentfully again, for she was impressed that, when the topic came
+up for discussion, certain members of the club intended to make
+her the target for more sharpshooting.
+
+But the struggle was short, for the monitor within had declared
+that "God's image and likeness could not reflect or manifest
+anything but love;" when, like a flash, had come the inspiration
+to treat the subject from a humorous point of view. She knew that
+the committee had used the term in its perverted sense, so she
+would meet them on their own ground, make an hour of fun for the
+league, and thus, perchance, disarm the aggressive ones and create
+a better feeling towards herself.
+
+As these thoughts coursed rapidly through her mind during Miss
+Felton's gallant defense, she became enthused over the idea, hence
+the mirthful gleam in her eyes when she arose and accepted the
+topic, and thus tactfully "poured oil upon the troubled waters."
+
+In the quiet of her own room, after retiring, her plan began to
+take a more definite form, and, before the week was out, she had
+arranged her programme for the evening.
+
+She found that she would be unable to carry it out alone, and so
+confided her scheme to Sadie, Miss Walton, the president, and Miss
+Felton, whom she now regarded as stanch friends. They were
+delighted with it and heartily lent her their assistance in
+perfecting it.
+
+It became evident, however, as the day for the meeting drew on
+apace, that more than usual interest was centered in the event,
+for, upon two or three occasions, Katherine came suddenly upon a
+group of the members in earnest conversation, which was instantly
+cut short, or abruptly changed, when her presence was observed.
+Jennie Wild, who was very fond of her, also gave her a hint that
+something unusual was going on.
+
+"Miss Minturn, what's the fun that's brewing in the Junior
+League?" she inquired, as she encountered Katherine in one of the
+halls a couple of days previous to the meeting.
+
+"Is there fun brewing?" she inquired, evasively, and wondering if,
+by any possibility, her own scheme had become known.
+
+"Yes, I am sure there is, for I've heard some of the juniors
+talking about a 'great time' that is on the tapis for the next
+meeting; and--and your name was mentioned, too," Jennie concluded,
+giving her a curious glance.
+
+Katherine flushed and looked perplexed; but she felt sure that her
+own secret was safe, for it had always been discussed behind
+locked doors, and all concerned were too interested in the success
+of it to betray her confidence.
+
+"I have no knowledge of anything outside of my own province," she
+replied. "I am to read a paper before the league on Tuesday
+evening."
+
+"Oh, say! what's the subject?" Jennie queried, eagerly.
+
+"Don't you know, dear, it is a rule, in both the Junior and Senior
+Leagues, that no information regarding what occurs in their
+meetings can be made public without a vote of the members?"
+Katherine smilingly inquired.
+
+"Yes; but I'll never tell," said the girl, in a confidential tone.
+
+"No, I am sure you will not," was the laughing retort.
+
+"Oh, you mean you won't give me a chance," said Jennie, with a
+good-natured grimace. "Well, whatever the subject may be, I am
+sure the paper will be O. K."
+
+"Thank you for your confidence in my ability, and, sometime,
+perhaps, you may be enlightened regarding what is at present a
+profound secret," returned Katherine, encouragingly.
+
+"Well, perhaps that is what those girls were talking about, but
+I'm pretty sure there's more than that in the wind," Jennie
+thoughtfully observed. "But"--all on the alert again--"I've found
+out that the sophs are planning to, kick up a bobbery, too--"
+
+"Oh, Jennie!" interposed her companion, with laughing reproof.
+
+"Yes, I know; that is awful slang. But what can you expect of a
+'freshie'? I've got to make the most of my time, too, you know,
+for when I get to be a junior I'll have to begin the 'prune and
+prism' act," retorted the girl with a roguish wink. "Then"--
+suddenly straightening herself, drawing down the corners of her
+mouth, crossing her eyes, and assuming the air of a would-be
+prude--"the prospective infraction of law and order would have to
+be decorously stated something like this: ahem! 'Those
+irrepressible, irresponsible and notorious sophomores are secretly
+preparing to engage in exceedingly demoralizing, mischievous and
+reprehensible behavior, calculated to produce an unpleasant state
+of perturbation in the atmosphere of our household, inoculate a
+spirit of anarchy in their fellows, and detract from the dignity
+of our honored institution.' How's that for high?"
+
+"Oh, I believe you are rightly named 'Wild Jennie'!" cried
+Katherine, laughing heartily, for the girl was irresistible in her
+drollery.
+
+"All the same," continued Miss Mischief, resuming her accustomed
+vivacity, "they really are up to something that will give the
+teachers a tremendous nightmare one of these fine nights. You just
+watch out, Miss Minturn--I've only got an inkling of the plot, but
+it's great, and I'm going to be on hand to see it, even if I can't
+be in it."
+
+"Look out, dear, that you do not get involved in something that
+you will be sorry for afterwards," cautioned Katherine.
+
+"I'll look out for number one--never you fear; but"--with a wise
+nod--"you just keep your eyes peeled about your own affairs. Ta-
+ta!" and, with a wave of her hand, the girl hurried away, merrily
+whistling a popular air as she went.
+
+"I wonder if those girls are planning some practical joke upon me
+for Tuesday evening!" Katherine said to herself, as she went on up
+to her room.
+
+Taking what Jennie had told her in connection with what she
+herself had seen and heard, she was inclined to think that there
+might be "something brewing"; but, as there appeared to be no way
+to solve the mystery, she wisely decided not to dwell upon it,
+although she determined that she would be on the qui vive and not
+caught napping.
+
+Tuesday evening came. The league convened at the usual hour, and
+that something of more than wonted interest was anticipated was
+evinced by the fact that every member of the club was promptly on
+hand, while curious glances were bent, and comments made, upon a
+curtain which had been stretched across one end of the room.
+
+After the meeting was formally opened the president stated that,
+before the reading and discussion of the paper, there would be a
+short entertainment, which had been specially prepared for the
+occasion.
+
+This announcement met with vigorous applause, and an air of eager
+interest at once pervaded the audience.
+
+Miss Walton waited patiently until quiet was restored, then
+resumed:
+
+"First I will read an original conundrum which is propounded by
+one of our members, and which you are requested to solve."
+
+Everyone was at once on the alert.
+
+"My first," read the chairman, "is a state of oblivion.
+
+"My second is what comes to all things mundane.
+
+"My third appertains to articulation, to a form of surgery, and to
+a profession.
+
+"My fourth is applied to certain theories and fanatical tenets.
+
+"My whole is a term employed to designate a certain form of
+philosophy which is also often misconstrued and misapplied."
+
+As Miss Walton was about to lay down her paper she was asked to
+read the conundrum again, which she did, while pencils were busy
+taking notes; then she observed:
+
+"Before the answer is called for we are to have a charade, which
+has also been prepared by a member of our club, after which you
+will please give your solutions before Miss Minturn reads her
+paper."
+
+A bell now tinkled faintly, and the mysterious curtain was raised,
+revealing a prettily furnished room and, conspicuous in a
+reclining chair, there lay a young lady apparently asleep, while
+two others, wearing black dominoes and lace masks, attempted to
+arouse her, Their efforts proved ineffectual, however, although
+she was pinched, shaken, commanded to awake, and even made to
+stand upon her feet. But nothing availed; she was seemingly
+oblivious of everything.
+
+"Alas! it is of no use," solemnly observed one domino to the
+other, who sighed heavily, and mournfully shook her head, and the
+curtain was rung down.
+
+A moment later it went up again. No one was now in the room, but a
+short piece of rope dangled from one arm of the chair.
+
+The third scene revealed an office. On a table lay a number of
+small instruments, a lot of loose teeth, also a couple of full
+sets. A lady was seated in a chair, and beside her stood a
+gentleman(?) holding aloft in one hand a pair of forceps, in which
+there gleamed a single tooth, while with the other he extended a
+glass of water to his patient, remarking in a suave, professional
+tone:
+
+"It is all over, madam--a very successful operation. Rinse your
+mouth, please, and then we will look at the others," whereupon the
+curtain fell.
+
+The fourth scene showed the same room in which the first act had
+been given. In a low rocker sat a spinster of uncertain age, very
+prim as to attitude and attire, her face partially concealed by a
+profusion of corkscrew curls that dangled from her temples. She
+appeared to be absorbed in reading, while there were piles of
+books on the table at her side, on chairs, and were also strewn
+promiscuously about the floor.
+
+Presently a colored servant entered the room. A spotless kerchief
+was folded about her expansive shoulders; a bright red bandanna
+was coiled around her woolly head, and a long, blue and white
+checked apron was tied about her ample waist.
+
+She was a typical, full-blooded negress, and shuffled into the
+room in true darky style, but with signs of distress and one black
+hand covering her right eye.
+
+"Well, Dinah, is anything wanted?" demanded the spinster, but
+without glancing up from her book.
+
+"Y'sm, honey; I'se done got sumpin' in m' eye. I has sho'."
+
+"Come here and let me look at it," said her mistress, reluctantly
+laying her book aside and taking a pencil from the table.
+
+Dinah knelt before the woman, who made a careful examination of
+the suffering member.
+
+"I see it!" she said; "don't move and I'll get it. There!"--
+carefully removing something with a corner of her immaculate
+handkerchief--"see?"
+
+"Y'sm; thank'e, Miss Julia. Yah! yah! what a li'l spec to make
+such a rumpus! Looks like de Bible 'mote,' but, golly! it done
+feel mo' like de 'beam.' Yah! yah! yah!" laughed the negress,
+revealing two rows of dazzling teeth to an appreciative audience
+as she laboriously struggled to her feet.
+
+"Feel all right now, aunty?" queried the spinster, as she
+carefully refolded her handkerchief.
+
+"Y'sm, y'sm; I'm obleeg'd to 'e, Miss Julia. Lor'!" rubbing her
+knees and groaning, "de rumatism do work de mischief wi' dese yere
+po' ole bones." But Miss Julia had again become absorbed in her
+book and, apparently, did not hear.
+
+"Got another new book, Miss Julia?" queried Dinah, after watching
+her mistress in silence for a moment.
+
+"No, Dinah," replied the spinster, lifting a beatific glance and
+smile to the ceiling, "I am still engaged with my 'Philosophical,
+Psychological and Theosophical Research.'"
+
+"Lor'!" and Dinah rolled her eyes with an awe-struck look over the
+audience. "I 'spec' some day, honey, you's so uplifted, you'll go
+soarin' up inter de clouds and outer sight, straight 'ter kingdom
+come--"
+
+"Dinah! I think it is time you were giving your attention to your
+dinner," interposed Miss Julia, in a lofty tone.
+
+"Y'sm; I's gwine--I sho'ly is'm," retorted Dinah, spiritedly, as
+she straightened herself and turned with a resentful flirt of her
+skirts to obey. Then glancing back over her shoulder and showing
+her white teeth in a broad grin, she added: "I's gwine ter 'gage
+in m' soupy-logical, lamby-logical, pie-o-logical research; y'sm,
+sho!" and, striking a superior attitude, she cake-walked off the
+stage with a vigorous stride and regardless of 'ole bones' or
+'rumatism'; and the curtain was rung down upon an audience
+convulsed with merriment, while a voice from somewhere cried out:
+
+"Well done, Sadie! yo'll take de cake, dis time, fer sho."
+
+Scene five showed the same room, the same spinster with her book
+clasped to her breast, her head thrown back, her eyes gazing aloft
+into vacancy.
+
+"Oh, ye messengers of supereminent light! Oh, ye soul-thrilling
+angels from realms supernal! Draw nearer--unfold your celestial
+wings and brood tenderly o'er the aspirations of this receptive
+heart--this heart already upborne on waves of ecstasy and o'er-
+mastering joy; fulfill its psychic dreams and lift it to thine own
+supersensible heights"--she breathed in an exaggerated stage
+whisper and continued her vague, visionary monologue, or
+extravaganza, until the curtain fell and brought down the house
+again with enthusiastic applause.
+
+"Has anyone guessed the answer to the conundrum, or charade, or
+both?" inquired the president with mirthful eyes when she could
+make herself heard.
+
+"Transcendentalism!" cried Clara Follet, wiping the tears from her
+cheeks. "Dinah gave it away to me with her 'is'm' and her
+'rumatism,' and, of course, the charade was the key to the
+conundrum."
+
+From several others came the same answer, with, the various hints
+or points which had suggested it.
+
+"And now," continued Miss Walton, "we will have the paper on the
+same subject from Miss Minturn, who is also the author of both
+conundrum and charade."
+
+Again there was a vigorous clapping of hands, in the midst of
+which the curtain was raised and Katherine appeared upon the
+stage, in her spinster attire, but shorn of her voluminous
+corkscrew curls.
+
+She was smiling, and rosy, and bowed her thanks for the generous
+approval of her efforts.
+
+As she unfolded her manuscript an expectant hush fell upon her
+audience, and she observed that significant and inquiring glances
+were exchanged between some of the members of the league.
+
+"The paper which I have prepared," she began, "may not prove to be
+just what the club may have expected from me; but it will at least
+show that I have given the subject assigned me some thought.
+
+  "Once on a time--'twas not so very long ago--
+   Miss Puff craved something of Philosophy to know,
+   And, with proofs of culture armed and high position,
+   To a Summer School of Sages sought admission.
+
+  "With inspiration rare, she here absorbed her fill
+   Of ologies galore, and conned them o'er, until
+   Her wearied brain grew dazed beyond expression;
+   But, of this sad fact, Miss Puff made no confessions
+
+  "Ontology came first, with arguments profound,
+   With language mystical, the wisest to confound;
+   Physics took the platform next, to claim discussion,
+   And Metaphysics foll'wing near caused concussion.
+
+  "Cosmology! Phrenology! what charmed lore!
+   What depths profound! how high her aspirations soar!
+   Tidbits of sweetness for future delectation.
+   Ah! but could she give a lucid explication?
+
+  "Theosophy! Psychology! transcendent themes!
+   Glide softly in upon her philosophic dreams:
+   'Till soul upborne to realms of ecstasy sublime,
+   Earth's vanities grow dim upon the shores of time.
+
+  "But, lo! now hydra-head Theology appears
+   To shatter dreams and chill her heart with nameless fears,
+   For Sage and Seer spare not in sharp dissection,
+   'Till poor Puff, alas! no longer makes connection.
+
+  "But, all the same, 'twas lovely to 'philosophize!'
+   It mattered not if she were wise, or--otherwise;
+   Or deeply versed in themes on which the Sages dote,
+   Could she but keep on transcendental waves afloat.
+
+  "And so, at length, the Summer School drew to a close.
+   Home went Miss Puff, well primed, to smatter and to pose;
+   Lightly soar on clouds of blissful exaltation,
+   And air her fads, perchance (?) in some smart publication.
+
+  "Howe'er, dear friends, Miss Puff's career was very brief.
+   Like all pretentious frauds, she shortly came to grief;
+   She was found out, you know, and took a strange belief
+   Which none could heal, and faded like a leaf.
+   Then, slyly fled the town!--was never seen again,
+   Though faithful search was made o'er mountain, moor and fen.
+
+  "The claim? Ah! that begat long medical debate;
+   But finally, as I am authorized to state--
+   For all things mystical must have some kind of name,
+   And there's no better phrase to chronicle the same--
+   'Twas--the learned doctors vowed--abnormal mentalism,
+   The outgrowth of her fads and Transcendentalism!"
+
+Katherine made her bow as she concluded and slipped behind the
+scenes. But the applause was beyond anything she had yet received
+and was kept up, with cries of "come out," "come out," until there
+was nothing to do but reappear, which she did with flushed cheeks
+and shining eyes.
+
+"Comrades, I thank you all for your hearty appreciation and
+commendation," she said, when quiet was restored. "It occurred to
+me that a humorous treatment of the subject might be more
+enjoyable than any other, and"--with an arch look and nod--"more
+applicable to your conception of the term. But"--her eyes now
+brimming with mirth--"I will not take more of your time, as I
+believe there is a supplement to my programme yet to come."
+
+The president looked surprised.
+
+"I know of nothing more, Miss Minturn," she said; but even as she
+spoke there was a nervous rustle apparent among some of the
+audience.
+
+"Still I am quite sure that a ghostly surprise, not down on my
+pragramme, had been planned for us. Perhaps this will elucidate my
+meaning," Katherine explained, and, bringing to light something,
+which she had until then concealed behind her, she shook out and
+held up to view a white robe, made of a sheet, and also a white
+mask.
+
+Groans and laughter greeted this announcement and display.
+
+"Oh! who has given us away? Who has told you, Miss Minturn?" came
+breathlessly from various quarters of the room.
+
+"No one 'has given the secret away'--no one has 'told' me
+anything," she replied. "The discovery was an accident. I was
+obliged to slip up to my room for something forgotten, just before
+it was time to open the meeting. As I reached the end of the hall
+I heard voices, and, being arrayed in the dentist's garb with only
+a domino over it, I did not wish to be seen. I fled into the
+closet there, and the next moment two juniors passed, carrying
+something in their arms, wrapped in shawls. I heard one say, 'When
+I give the signal, Miss Blank will touch the button and put out
+the lights.' When they were beyond hearing I stole from the closet
+and found a small bundle at my feet. Investigation revealed this
+ghostly garb, and, if I am not mistaken, those shawls, in yonder
+corner, contain several others."
+
+The room was very still for a moment after Katherine concluded,
+and there were some very red faces, here and there, among the
+audience.
+
+Suddenly Clara Follet sprang to her feet, and, addressing the
+president, said:
+
+"Miss Walton, as I am the leader in this affair, may I make an
+explanation?"
+
+"Certainly. Comrades, Miss Follet has the floor."
+
+"There is nothing to be done but make a clean breast of
+everything," continued Miss Follet, with a resolute air, but with
+crimson cheeks as she faced the audience. "As you all know, some
+of us were inclined to--to guy Miss Minturn at our last meeting
+about a certain subject, and when she declined to write a paper on
+it we thought we would give her another as nearly like it as
+possible, and so get some fun out of it when it came up for
+discussion. Well"--with a suggestive shrug--"we, of course,
+expected she would go into it deep, and mount, and soar, and all
+that; so some of us put our heads together and planned a ghost
+walk. We were going to wait until she reached the zenith of her
+flight, when, at a signal from me, the electrics would be turned
+off, which would leave us a very dim light through the transoms
+opening into the hall; then eight of us were to slip into our
+robes, form a circle around Miss Minturn, and chant a dirge. Well-
+-but--ahem! don't you see, she just took all the wind out of our
+sails to begin with? Instead of a 'ghostly surprise' the ghosts
+got the surprise--that conundrum and charade made me suspect that
+the committee on topics were going to 'get left,' and I began to
+feel my courage failing. But that transcendental poem!--that
+capped the climax, and I saw that the only thing to be done was
+for the spooks to hide their diminished heads and keep dark."
+
+Miss Follet was here interrupted by vigorous clapping and bursts
+of irrepressible laughter, in which even the dignified president
+joined.
+
+But a tap of the gavel restored order, and Miss Follet was invited
+to proceed.
+
+"That is all there is to tell," she replied, "but I want to add,
+for myself, that I think Miss Minturn is 'a brick,' as the boys
+would put it, and I take off my hat to her"--turning to Katherine
+with a low, graceful bow--"if she will accept the homage from the
+chief transgressor, who--to make all possible atonement--proposes
+to give the best spread of the season in her honor, in place of
+the next meeting, if the league will vote me the privilege and she
+will signify her pardon and approval by shaking hands with me."
+
+As she concluded she extended her hand to Katherine, who grasped
+it cordially, amid enthusiastic clapping by the entire audience.
+
+It was some minutes before order could be restored, when the
+business was transacted and Miss Follet's proposal to give a
+spread in Miss Minturn's honor, two weeks from that night,
+received a most hearty and unanimous vote.
+
+When the meeting was dismissed it was evident that a decided
+reaction of feeling had taken place, for Katherine at once became
+the center of attraction and held a delightful little reception
+for a while; but this was cut short by the ringing of the retiring
+bell, and the Junior League dispersed in the happiest frame of
+mind, all declaring that the "Transcendental Evening" had been the
+finest of the year.
+
+When Katherine laid her head upon her pillow that night and fell
+asleep her pulses were beating in joyous rhythm with three
+beautiful words gleaned from her beloved "Science and Health"--
+"Love is enthroned! Love is enthroned!" [Footnote: "Science and
+Health," page 454.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+KATHERINE MAKES A DEMONSTRATION.
+
+
+From that time on Katherine became conscious of a very different
+atmosphere, at least when among her own classmates, for, instead
+of the cold shoulder, averted glances and a general stampede
+whenever she appeared, she was now cordially received and greeted
+upon all occasions.
+
+This was more apparent after Miss Follet's "spread," two weeks
+later, and which really proved to be the "finest of the season,"
+being a "full-dress affair," when all barriers were swept away
+during the "jollification" and every vestige of disaffection
+vanished in company with the bountiful and dainty viands that were
+literally fit "to set before a king."
+
+Katherine, being the guest of honor, was toasted and made much of,
+and her companions found that she could appreciate a frolic as
+heartily as anyone, and was not behind, either, in making fun for
+others.
+
+One evening, early in May, shortly after "the spread," Katherine
+was diligently studying the morrow's lessons when a rap sounded on
+her door, and, upon giving the usual password, Jennie Wild put her
+curly head inside the room and observed:
+
+"Miss Minturn, Miss Reynolds has sent me to ask if you will come
+to her room as soon as the study hour is over."
+
+"Yes, Jennie, I will go to her the moment the bell rings," replied
+Katherine, who knew that her teacher had not been well for nearly
+a week, and, for the last two days, had been unable to attend to
+her duties.
+
+"And, Miss Minturn," continued the girl, lingering.
+
+"Well?" said her friend, inquiringly.
+
+"May I go with you to your service, next Sunday?"
+
+"Why, Jennie! What has possessed you to ask me that?"
+
+"Oh, I thought I'd just like to know what kind of a rigmarole--Oh,
+Peter Piper! what have I said?" the heedless girl interposed as
+Katherine flushed and looked up suddenly. "I really didn't mean
+that--I--er--it just slipped out before I had time to think. But,
+truly, I would like to go with you."
+
+"But you know it is against the rules for students to leave their
+own church. You would have to get permission of Prof. Seabrook,"
+Katherine returned.
+
+"I don't want to ask him," said Jennie, with a shrug, adding: "He
+need never know."
+
+"No, Jennie, I cannot countenance any such disobedience," gravely
+replied her companion. "And if it is only a matter of idle
+curiosity on your part, I think you had better wait until you are
+actuated by a more worthy motive."
+
+Jennie looked really distressed under this reproof.
+
+"I'm afraid I've offended you," she began, plaintively. "I didn't
+mean to speak slightingly of your church, and I'm--sorry--"
+
+"Don't be troubled, Jennie, dear; I am not offended," said
+Katherine, smiling reassuringly. "Of course, you understand that,
+to me, our service is very beautiful and sacred. I would dearly
+love to have you go with me in a proper way; but if you do not
+like to ask permission you can wait until vacation, when you will
+not be hampered by school rules."
+
+"All right; perhaps--I will," returned Jennie, with a sly smile;
+then, with a friendly "good-night," she went away, and Katherine
+thought no more of the matter at that time.
+
+Half an hour later the nine o'clock bell rang and she repaired at
+once to Miss Reynolds' room. She found her teacher in bed, looking
+flushed and feverish, her throat badly swollen and swathed in
+flannels, while she was scarcely able to speak aloud.
+
+She smiled a welcome and held out her hand to the girl, who
+clasped it fondly as she sat down beside her.
+
+"I suppose you would say 'it is nothing,'" whispered the woman, a
+little gleam of laughter in her eyes, notwithstanding her evident
+suffering.
+
+"No, I should say nothing of the kind to you," said Katherine,
+gravely. "But I hoped that I should find you better."
+
+"No, Kathie"--a fond way she had adopted of late when addressing
+her--"I have been growing steadily worse since last night. This
+afternoon I have been very ill, and Prof. Seabrook sent me word by
+his wife, to-night, that if I am not better by morning he will
+call a physician upon his own responsibility. I don't want a
+doctor," she went on, after resting a moment, "for, since having
+those talks with you and learning something of your faith, I find
+myself shrinking from medical treatment."
+
+Katherine glanced involuntarily at the array of bottles on the
+table near her, and Miss Reynolds, observing it, smiled.
+
+"True," she said, "I have been dosing myself with every remedy
+that I could think of, while 'halting between two opinions'; but
+nothing does any good, and I have come to the end of my rope, so
+to speak. That is why I have sent for you, Kathie--to ask you to
+treat me your way."
+
+Katherine flushed, and for an instant a sense of fear held her in
+its grip. With it also came the query, "What would Prof. Seabrook
+think of having Christian Science healing deliberately practiced
+in Hilton Seminary?"
+
+Then she mentally declared: "There is no fear in love," and "where
+duty pointed the way she would boldly walk therein."
+
+"Are you afraid to take hold of it?" her teacher inquired, as she
+observed her hesitation.
+
+"No, I am not afraid, for I know that God is supreme and never
+fails those who put their trust in Him," was the confident
+response. "But," Katherine continued, "are you sure you really
+want Christian Science treatment?"
+
+"Very sure, Kathie."
+
+"How about these?" and the girl glanced at the bottles, "and
+this?" touching the flannel about her throat.
+
+"Oh, I know they are of no use," said the sick woman, with an
+impatient sigh. "You may put the medicines all away, and I will
+take off the flannel. I am determined not to have a doctor and be
+laid up for three long weeks, if I can help it."
+
+"Very well; then I will do my utmost for you," said our young
+Scientist, in a resolute tone. "I shall stay here with you to-
+night; but, first, I must go to tell Sadie and get my wrapper."
+
+"Ah! that is kind; you can sleep on the couch, and, really, dear,
+I do feel too sick to be left alone," was the weary reply.
+
+Without further ado Katherine sped back to her room--working
+mentally for her friend as she went--told Sadie her plan, and
+donned a loose wrapper; then, taking her Bible and "Science and
+Health," she hastened back to her patient.
+
+During her absence Miss Reynolds had removed the voluminous folds
+from her neck, and now looked relieved as Katherine reappeared,
+prepared to care for her during the night.
+
+Katherine noiselessly removed the various bottles, tumblers, etc.,
+from the table, laying her books in their place, and was on the
+point of sitting down to begin her work when there came a rap on
+the door.
+
+Upon answering it she found Mrs. Seabrook standing without, a bowl
+of steaming gruel in her hands.
+
+"Oh, you are going to stay with Miss Reynolds tonight!" she
+exclaimed, her face lighting as she saw the girl in her wrapper.
+"I am very glad--I had intended doing so myself, for I know she
+should not be left alone; but Dorothy has just had a bad turn and
+I cannot leave her. How is she now?" she concluded, glancing
+towards the bed.
+
+"About the same as she has been all day."
+
+Mrs. Seabrook sighed anxiously.
+
+"I wish she would have a doctor," she said. "We shall insist upon
+it if she is not better in the morning. I have made her some
+gruel--do make her take at least a part of it, for she has had no
+nourishment to-day."
+
+"Thank you, I will try; and do not worry, dear Mrs. Seabrook. I
+will take the very best of care of her, I promise you," said
+Katherine, cheerily.
+
+"I know you will, you dear child; and you have removed a load from
+my heart already," returned the care-laden woman, tears springing
+to her eyes. Then she bade her good-night and left her, whereupon
+Katherine locked the door, and, slipping quietly into a chair,
+began working vigorously for her friend.
+
+For more than an hour there seemed to be no change in her
+patient's condition. Indeed, if anything, the symptoms appeared to
+be aggravated; she tossed restlessly, the fever apparently
+increasing, while she called for water every few moments, but
+refused the gruel, saying she could not swallow it.
+
+Eleven o'clock came--half-past; then the long tolling of the tower
+clock proclaimed midnight ere Katherine was able to detect the
+slightest sign of improvement. Then, as she responded to another
+call for water, she found that the fever had abated and there was
+a slight moisture in the palm of the hand, which she clasped for
+an instant.
+
+Another half hour spent in alternate reading and work brought
+quiet, restful sleep. But the faithful sentinel on guard labored
+on, now reading from her precious book, then seeking help from the
+only source whence cometh all help and comfort, and never doubting
+that the answer to her prayer would eventually come.
+
+At two o'clock Miss Reynolds aroused and again called for water;
+then, after drinking thirstily, dropped restfully back upon her
+pillows.
+
+At three she awoke once more and asked for the gruel.
+
+"Kathie, I am better--the fever is gone, and my throat is not so
+sore!" she said, smiling faintly into the earnest face looking
+down upon her.
+
+"That is certainly good news," Katherine returned, as she received
+the bowl half-emptied of its contents. "Now go to sleep again, and
+I will lie down upon the couch."
+
+She lay awake, working, however, until the regular breathing from
+the bed told her that her patient was wrapped in slumber; when,
+assured that her toiling and rowing were over for the present, and
+God at the helm, she, too, dropped off, and knew no more until
+aroused by the rising bell at half-past six.
+
+She started up, but her companion slept on, and, disliking to
+disturb her, she lay back and worked silently until the next bell,
+at seven-thirty, called to the morning meal.
+
+Miss Reynolds heard it also, turned over and looked at her
+companion, then sat up and involuntarily put her hands to her
+throat.
+
+An expression of astonishment swept over her face.
+
+"Katherine! why, Katherine!" she exclaimed; "where is it?"
+
+"Where is what?" inquired the girl, going to her side.
+
+"The swelling!"
+
+"There is none," said Katherine, with a happy smile as she glanced
+at the white, shapely neck to find it in its normal condition.
+
+"Neither is there any soreness in my throat! Child, I do not know
+what to think of it!" said the woman, with a note of awe in her
+tone.
+
+"Think that God was a very present help in time of need," returned
+Katherine, with sweet seriousness and a slight tremble in her own
+voice.
+
+Miss Reynolds fell back upon her pillow, a thoughtful look on her
+face. But, presently, glancing at the clock, she said:
+
+"Dear child, you must go for your breakfast, or you will be too
+late."
+
+"I will; but what shall I bring you afterwards?"
+
+"What may I have?"
+
+"Anything you like."
+
+"Truly?"
+
+"Certainly; don't you remember what we were talking of last week--
+man's God-given dominion over all things?"
+
+"Well, it surpasses my comprehension, for I have always had to be
+careful what I ate after one of these attacks! But I am in your
+hands, Kathie--you may bring me what you choose, and I believe I
+am hungry," Miss Reynolds returned, in a tone of conviction.
+
+"You shall have something very soon," Katherine assured her, and,
+having dressed her hair while talking, she now flew away to her
+own room to complete her toilet, a paean of praise thrilling her
+heart for the recent safe and triumphant passage through the Red
+Sea of human fear and error, whose waves had so threatened to
+engulf her patient the night before.
+
+Breakfast was nearly over when she reached the dining room; but
+she slid quietly into her place and made a hurried meal, after
+which she sought the matron and gave her order for Miss Reynolds,
+saying she would wait and take the tray up to her.
+
+While she was waiting, Mrs. Seabrook espied her and came to
+inquire for her patient.
+
+"She is more comfortable this morning," Katherine replied, and,
+thinking it wise not to say very much regarding the conditions
+upstairs.
+
+Mrs. Seabrook appeared greatly relieved.
+
+"I am thankful," she said. "I was very anxious about her last
+night, for I have never seen her so ill before. Poor Dorrie is not
+as well, either, this morning," she concluded, with a weary sigh.
+
+A wave of compassion swept over Katherine's heart for this sweet,
+patient woman, who was so heavily burdened with her own cares, yet
+ever ready to do for others.
+
+"Give my love to Dorrie," she said, adding: "And I will run in to
+see her this afternoon, if I may."
+
+"Do, Miss Minturn," said her companion, eagerly. "You always do
+the child good, and she will have something pleasant to look
+forward to during the day."
+
+Miss Reynolds enjoyed her breakfast, which she ate with perfect
+ease. Then she said she would like to be left alone to rest until
+noon, when Katherine might bring her a light dinner--"provided her
+breakfast did not hurt her."
+
+Katherine pinned upon her door a slip of paper on which was
+written "not to be disturbed"; then went away to her own duties,
+which would be over at noon, it being Saturday and a half holiday.
+
+After eating her own dinner, she arranged a generous and tempting
+meal on a tray and took it to her teacher's room.
+
+She found her up and dressed in her wrapper and seated in a
+comfortable rocker, reading "Science and Health," which she had
+left lying on the table.
+
+Miss Reynolds looked up and nodded brightly as she laid down the
+book.
+
+"Isn't this perfectly lovely? Aren't you astonished to find me
+up?" she inquired, as she bestowed a fond pat upon the girl who
+had drawn a small table to her side and was arranging her dinner
+upon it.
+
+"Not in the least," said Katherine, bending to kiss the cheek
+nearest her.
+
+"Aren't you? not the least bit? Why! I am simply amazed at
+myself!" her teacher exclaimed.
+
+Katherine laughed out merrily.
+
+"I suppose you have heard of the woman who, on being told that
+'the prayer of faith would remove mountains,' prayed that God
+would take away the hill behind her house?" she queried, archly.
+
+"Yes, and on looking out in the morning, said: 'It's just as I
+expected; I knew it would be here just the same!' I know the
+story, and I see your point on lack of faith," said Miss Reynolds,
+echoing the girl's laugh.
+
+"But that is not the way Christian Scientists pray," Katherine
+observed. "Jesus said, 'All things whatsoever ye ask in prayer,
+believing, ye shall receive.' You are not quite like the woman who
+prayed for what she was sure she would not get; but you are
+'amazed' because you have received that for which we asked; which
+shows that you did not really expect it."
+
+"But I must have had some faith, Kathie, or I would not have
+trusted myself to your treatment."
+
+"True; and that was your first step in Christian Science, which
+brought with it the proof of God's supremacy." "It certainly is a
+beautiful proof," Miss Reynolds earnestly returned, "for I have
+been subject to these attacks for many years, and have always been
+under the care of a physician from three to five weeks before
+getting back to my normal condition."
+
+She went on with her dinner, but it was evident that she was
+thinking deeply, while Katherine moved softly about the room
+putting things in order.
+
+"Katherine," the woman at length inquired, "what is this
+'treatment' which you give the sick? Is it simply prayer?"
+
+"Yes, and the understanding that God is all in all."
+
+"Well, I would like to know the secret of it. I have been a
+prayerful woman during the greater portion of my life--at least,
+according to the common acceptation of the term; but I have never
+before known of a direct answer to prayer such has come to you or
+to me, through you. What constitutes a Christian Scientist's
+prayer and understanding?"
+
+"That question involves a great deal," said Katherine, smiling.
+"Briefly, it is reaching out for and appropriating that which is
+already ours."
+
+"'Appropriating?'"
+
+"Yes, knowing that all good belongs by right to us, as God's dear
+children; and acting as if we knew it, by gratefully accepting
+it," Katherine explained. Then observing the puzzled look on her
+teacher's face, she went on:
+
+"Let me illustrate. You asked for your dinner. I have brought it
+and set it before you. All you have to do is to reach out and
+partake of it to satisfy your hunger. How inconsistent it would be
+if you should ignore these facts and keep on saying, 'Katherine, I
+want my dinner; please, oh, please give me some food, for I am
+starving.'"
+
+"How ridiculous that sounds!" said Miss Reynolds, laughing. "I
+begin to comprehend what you mean and that the old way of praying
+is only a halfway prayer, while begging and supplicating God to
+keep His promises impugns His righteousness."
+
+"Exactly," Katherine assented, then added: "Prayer is really
+twofold--asking and taking, praying and doing; knowing that God's
+promises mean what they say, and confidently expecting their
+fulfillment."
+
+"Do you always have this confidence when you have difficulties to
+meet, Kathie? I should think it would not always be easy to
+'know,'" thoughtfully observed Miss Reynolds.
+
+"No, it is not always easy to have perfect trust; in that case
+every demonstration, or answer to prayer, would be instantaneous.
+One needs to be patient and persistent, the same as one needs to
+go over a difficult mathematical problem many times before getting
+a correct answer, but never doubting that it will follow right
+effort," Katherine explained. "Of course, there is a great deal
+more that might be said about the subject," she added, "and if you
+will read the chapter on 'Prayer' in our text-book you will get a
+far better idea of it than I have given you."
+
+"I will read it this afternoon if you are not going to use your
+book," Miss Reynolds replied.
+
+"I have another copy, and you may keep this one for a while," and
+Katherine flushed with pleasure at the woman's manifest interest
+in her beloved Science.
+
+"Thank you; and now"--glancing archly at the almost empty dishes
+before her--"don't you think I have done ample justice to the
+generous repast you brought me? I only hope it won't bring on the
+fever again."
+
+"Oh, faithless and perverse generation!" quoted Katherine, with
+smiling reproof. "It will not," she added, positively; "remember
+your 'God-given dominion.'"
+
+"I will try, dear; I am very grateful to you, Kathie, and to God,
+for the wonderful transformation of the last few hours," said Miss
+Reynolds, with starting tears. "If it were not for this feeling of
+weakness I believe I could dress and go down to supper to-night."
+
+At that instant there came a tap on the door, and on going to
+answer it Katherine found Mrs. Seabrook and Miss Williams, another
+teacher, without.
+
+Both ladies exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing the supposed
+invalid up and dressed, while Mrs. Seabrook viewed with grave
+disapproval the tray before her, with its remnants of a hearty
+dinner.
+
+"My dear! are you crazy that you dare eat meat, potatoes and
+vegetables--yes, and pie!--with such a fever?" she cried, aghast.
+
+"I have no fever," said Miss Reynolds, giving her a cool, normal
+hand. "I am very much better, and I was hungry, so asked Miss
+Minturn to bring me something nice to eat."
+
+"All the same, you are very injudicious," was the severe
+rejoinder. But the transgressor only smiled serenely and began to
+talk of other things, while Katherine removed the offensive tray,
+taking it below, after which she sought her own room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+MRS. SEABROOK'S PROBLEM.
+
+
+Katherine spent a while chatting with her roommate, after which
+she made some change in her dress, then sought Mrs. Seabrook's
+apartments to make her promised visit to Dorothy.
+
+The child was reclining on a couch and propped up by numerous
+pillows. She looked pale and worn from recent suffering, although,
+just then, she was comparatively comfortable.
+
+Prof. Seabrook was sitting beside her, reading from an
+entertaining book, to pass the time during his wife's absence on
+her round of visits to the sick.
+
+Katherine flushed slightly as she entered the room, for, try as
+she would, she had not yet quite overcome a sense of reserve
+whenever she met her principal. His manner to her was always
+marked by the most punctilious politeness; but it was such frigid
+courtesy and so entirely at variance with his affability during
+their first interview, that she also seemed to freeze when in his
+presence.
+
+The moment the door opened Dorothy uttered a cry of joy, extending
+eager hands to her, and, after saluting Prof. Seabrook, Katherine
+went to her side, a cheery smile upon her lips as she greeted her.
+
+"I'm so glad, Miss Minturn! Mamma said you were coming, and I've
+been watching the door ever since dinner. Can you stay a long
+time?" exclaimed the girl, in glad tones.
+
+"Perhaps I am interrupting something interesting," Katherine
+observed, as she glanced at the book in the professor's hands.
+
+"Well, papa has been reading to me, and it was interesting,"
+Dorothy truthfully admitted. "But he has an engagement pretty
+soon, and is only staying with me till mamma comes back, for Alice
+is out. Mamma has gone up to see Miss Reynolds. Do you know she is
+awful sick?"
+
+"She is much better to-day. I came from her room only a little
+while ago," said Katherine, "and I can stay an hour, or more, with
+you if you like. I will go on with the reading, Prof. Seabrook, if
+it will relieve you," she added, courteously turning to him.
+
+"Oh, I'd rather talk with you," Dorothy interposed. "Mamma can
+finish the story by and by. Now, papa, you can go and leave me
+with Miss Minturn."
+
+Prof. Seabrook arose.
+
+"It is very good of you, Miss Minturn," he said, addressing her
+with studied politeness. "I do feel anxious to get away to an
+important appointment. Well, Dorrie, what shall I bring you from
+the city?" he questioned, as he bent over the girl, his tones
+softening suddenly to yearning tenderness.
+
+"Oh! papa, it's Saturday, you know," she said, with a wise look.
+
+"Sure; I almost forgot, and the inevitable cream chocolates for
+Sunday will have to be forthcoming, I suppose," he laughingly
+rejoined. "Anything else?"
+
+"No, I guess not; only tell Uncle Phil, if you see him, to be sure
+to come out to-morrow."
+
+"Very well," then kissing her fondly, he bowed formally to
+Katherine and quietly left the room.
+
+Ten minutes later Mrs. Seabrook returned, and Katherine persuaded
+her to go out for a walk, a privilege which the closely confined
+woman was glad to avail herself of, and Dorothy was soon absorbed
+in the description of a moonlight fete on the Grand Canal in
+Venice, and which Katherine had participated in during her recent
+tour abroad.
+
+Meantime Mrs. Seabrook was walking briskly towards the highway,
+but with a very thoughtful expression on her refined face.
+
+It was one of those soft, balmy days of May that almost delude one
+into the belief that it is June; that thrill the heart with
+tenderness for every living thing, and quicken responsive pulses
+with their unfolding beauty. She had been shut up the whole week
+with Dorrie, while, with Miss Reynolds alarmingly ill and several
+of the students threatened with as many different ailments, her
+time had been more than full, and her mind heavily burdened with
+care and anxiety. So it was with a sense of freedom and grateful
+appreciation that she pursued her way, breathing in the pure and
+refreshing air, basking in the genial sunshine and feasting her
+eyes upon the loveliness all around her; but thinking, thinking
+with a strange feeling of awe deep down in her heart.
+
+She had just passed the entrance to the grounds of the seminary,
+when she saw her brother, Dr. Stanley, approaching from the
+opposite direction.
+
+She hurried forward to greet him.
+
+"I am more than glad to see you, Phillip," she said, as she
+slipped her hand, girl fashion, into his, as it hung by his side.
+"Come and walk with me. I want to talk to you."
+
+"I am on my way to Dorrie," he replied. "I met William in a car,
+as I was returning to town from a visit to a patient, and he told
+me she had been very poorly to-day. So I took the next car back to
+see her."
+
+"Yes, she had a very bad night, but has grown more comfortable
+within the last few hours. Miss Minturn offered to sit with her
+and let me out for a breath of air," his sister explained.
+
+"I owe Miss Minturn my personal thanks. But perhaps I ought to go
+on and take a look at Dorrie," said the physician, thoughtfully.
+
+"No, Phil; come with me. I am heavy-hearted, discouraged, and I
+need to be comforted," said the much-tried woman, the sound of
+tears in her voice. "Miss Minturn is very nice with Dorothy," she
+continued, struggling for self-control; "the child always seems
+happy and to forget herself when she is with her. Perhaps, though,
+you haven't time," she added, with sudden thought.
+
+"Yes, I have, Emelie," the man gently replied, "and we will have
+one of our old tramps together. Come! Let us get as far as
+possible from that pile of brick and stone and its too familiar
+surroundings." And still holding her hand, swinging it gently back
+and forth, he led her along the road towards the open country.
+
+"What a strange world this is, Phil!" Mrs. Seabrook broke out,
+suddenly, after they had traversed quite a distance and talked of
+various matters. "Everything in it seems to be at cross-purposes."
+
+"Do you think so, Emelie? Look!"
+
+The man checked her steps and pointed to the view before them.
+They had come to the brow of a hill, and there, spread out beneath
+them, was a valley teeming with luxuriant beauty that was a
+delight to the eye and full of exhilarating charm. Thrifty farms
+dotted the broad expanse as far as they could see; springing
+fields of grain, interspersed with verdant meadows, and rich
+pastures dotted with their feeding kine were suggestive of
+prosperous homes and husbandmen; stretches of woodlands, with
+their sturdy trunks and vigorous branches, unfurled their banners
+of living green in varying shades and lent an air of dignity and
+strength to the attractive landscape. Here and there an apple
+orchard, with trees in full bloom, gave a dainty touch of color to
+brighten the whole, and a small river winding its glimmering way,
+like a rope of silver thrown at random, made a graceful trail over
+the scene; while above it all fleecy clouds, skimming athwart a
+sky of vivid blue, cast lights and shadows that could not have
+failed to thrill and inspire the soul of an old master painter.
+
+"I know--that is lovely! No, there are no cross-purposes in
+nature; it all seems in perfect harmony," murmured Mrs. Seabrook,
+her eyes glowing with keen appreciation of the exquisite picture
+before her. "It is only poor humanity that seems all out of tune,"
+she went on, the tense lines coming back to her face. "Oh,
+Phillip! what is this mystery of suffering that we see all about
+us? If God is tender, and loving, and supreme, why--oh! why--is
+the world so full of it?"
+
+Dr. Stanley lifted the hand that he was still holding and laid it
+within his arm, drawing her closer to him with a tenderness which
+told her that he both knew and shared the heavy burden that
+weighed so heavily upon her heart.
+
+"Emelie," he said, his eyes lingering upon the scene before them,
+"that is a question that I have often asked myself, especially
+during the last two years that I spent in those hospitals abroad,
+and witnessed the wretchedness they contained. And I suppose
+everybody has been asking it over and over for ages gone by. We
+have been taught that sin is the root of it all," he went on,
+musingly; "that sin brought sickness and death. Then, as you say,
+if God is supreme, why doesn't He abolish the sin, or at least
+show humanity how to conquer it in a practical way, to overcome or
+lessen the results of sin? But no! The same tragedy is repeated
+with every generation, and seems likely to go on for ages to
+come."
+
+"Sin! What sin could an innocent child like Dorrie be guilty of,
+to bring upon her the curse of torture that she has endured for
+the last eight years?" cried Mrs. Seabrook, a note of intolerant
+anguish in her tones. "I know you will say theology teaches that
+it is the heredity sin of our first parents; but, Phillip, that is
+not fair nor just--it is not logical reasoning. I believe I am
+beginning to be very skeptical, for that argument hasn't a true
+ring to it. What human father or mother would torture their
+offspring simply because an ancestor, many generations ago, had
+committed a crime, however heinous? Oh, sometimes I am almost on
+the verge of declaring there is no God. That would bring chaos, I
+know," she added, with a deprecatory smile, as she saw her
+brother's brow contract; "but it really does seem as if the pros
+and cons are disproportionate, the cons far outnumbering the pros,
+as far as poor humanity is concerned."
+
+"Emelie, you need change of scene; you are becoming morbid," said
+Phillip Stanley, looking with fond anxiety into the somber eyes
+upraised to his.
+
+"Change of scene would not remove the sword that hangs over me,
+for you know that where I go Dorrie must also go. Oh! Phillip, do
+you believe that anything will ever permanently relieve that child
+of pain?" Mrs. Seabrook cried, a sob escaping her quivering lips.
+"I don't expect she is ever going to be straight, like other
+girls. I only ask that she may be freed from suffering. Have you
+any real faith in that proposed operation, or even that--that she
+will live through it? You have been trying to 'build her up,' but
+she appears to be running down instead."
+
+"I know, dear, her case does seem to be very trying, although I
+see no especial cause for anxiety. I hope when the season is more
+advanced and you go to the mountains she will improve more
+rapidly. But how would you like to change the treatment?" And Dr.
+Stanley bent a searching look upon the troubled face beside him.
+
+"Have some one else?"
+
+"Yes; try another specialist."
+
+"No, Philip; we have tried everything--every school, and countless
+specialists, for eight years," said Mrs. Seabrook, wearily. "I
+have more confidence in you than in anyone else, for I know that
+you are putting your whole heart into the case, and yet--"
+
+"What is it, Emelie? Do not fear to speak your mind freely," said
+her brother, encouragingly.
+
+"Phillip, what do you think of the Christian Scientists? Would it
+be too ridiculous to try their method for a while?" she faltered,
+and flushing crimson.
+
+Dr. Stanley smiled.
+
+"Has Dorothy been talking to you also about the miracles of
+nineteen hundred years ago?" he inquired, evasively.
+
+"No; what do you mean?"
+
+He related his recent conversation with his niece on the subject,
+and told of his promise to read the Scripture references she had
+given him.
+
+"I kept my word," he said, in conclusion, "and became so
+interested that I read the account of every miracle that Christ
+and His apostles performed."
+
+"Oh! Dorrie never tires of reading or of asking questions about
+them," returned Mrs. Seabrook; "but that has had nothing to do
+with my thought. Something very queer has occurred during the last
+twenty-four hours. You remember I spoke to you yesterday regarding
+Miss Reynolds' illness?"
+
+"Yes; you thought her condition rather serious, I believe."
+
+"Phillip, she really was very ill; I was thoroughly alarmed about
+her. Always, before this, when she has had these attacks, she has
+been very willing to have a physician, but this time she flatly
+refused to let me call anyone. Last night she was worse than I
+ever saw, her, and Miss Minturn took care of her."
+
+"Ah!" ejaculated Dr. Stanley, in a peculiar tone.
+
+"You know, perhaps, that Miss Minturn is a Christian Scientist?"
+said his sister, inquiringly.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well, I went to Miss Reynolds' room late last night: and, truly,
+I came away in fear and trembling. I could not sleep well because
+of anxiety on her account. This morning, however, Miss Minturn
+told me, in her quiet way, that she was 'more comfortable.' But
+you can imagine my astonishment when I went to see the woman, less
+than an hour ago, and found her up and dressed, having just
+finished a dinner of roast beef and vegetables--in fact, our
+regular Saturday menu--pie and all."
+
+"What! with all that fever?" exclaimed Dr. Stanley, aghast.
+
+"Well, that was the queerest thing about it," said Mrs. Seabrook,
+in a tone of perplexity; "there wasn't a sign of fever about her
+and the swelling of her throat was all gone. But for looking a
+trifle pale and hollow-eyed, she seemed nearly as well as ever.
+She would not talk of herself, though; she just evaded our
+questions--Miss Williams was with me--but ran on about Dorothy and
+school matters in general, as lively as a cricket. Now, putting
+this and that together, I am inclined to think that Miss Minturn
+had something to do with this wonderful change. What do you
+think?" she concluded, turning to her brother with an eager look.
+
+"I would not be at all surprised if she had," Dr. Stanley gravely
+observed.
+
+"You 'would not be at all surprised'! Then, Phillip, you do
+believe in Christian Science healing, after all!" exclaimed his
+sister, almost breathlessly.
+
+"No, I do not 'believe' in it, and yet I know that strange, even
+marvelous, things are done in its name," Phillip Stanley replied.
+"Has Will never told you that I suggested we try it before having
+Dorrie submit to an operation?" he added, after a moment of
+thought.
+
+"No, he has never mentioned the subject to me."
+
+"Well, I did," and then the young man proceeded to relate the
+incident that had occurred on the Ivernia during his return
+passage and his subsequent conversation with his brother-in-law.
+
+"While I have no faith in it as a 'demonstrable science,'" he
+continued, "and while there is much that, to me, seems absurdly
+inconsistent in what they teach, I am not so egotistical and
+obstinate as to utterly repudiate, with a supercilious wave of the
+hand, any method of healing that could do what I know was done for
+that suffering child last fall. And, my dear sister, I am sure I
+do not need to tell you that I would be willing to yield
+everything--go to any legitimate length to save our Dorrie from a
+trying ordeal, which, after all, might not bring the result we
+hope for. It is a question that remains to be proved, you know,"
+he concluded, gently.
+
+"Do not think for a moment," he presently resumed, "that I believe
+Christian Science could cure her; at the same time I would not
+object to giving it a trial--making a test--to see if it would
+relieve her present suffering."
+
+"Why not test it upon yourself, Phil?" his sister abruptly
+demanded.
+
+The man started, then flushed.
+
+"You refer to my imperfect sight?"
+
+"Yes, of course; you need it for nothing else."
+
+"Pshaw! Emelie; there is nothing that can mend a dislocated optic
+nerve," returned the physician, with an impatient shrug.
+
+They walked on some distance farther, both intent upon the subject
+which they had been discussing.
+
+"Well, Phillip, I am going to ask Will to try what it will do for
+Dorothy," Mrs. Seabrook at length asserted, in a resolute tone.
+"Of course, if it is only mental treatment, it cannot do the child
+any harm, even if it does her no good."
+
+"I hope you may succeed, dear, in winning his consent," her
+brother returned. "He was rather short with me about it, and I
+could see that, for some reason, he was quite stirred up over the
+subject."
+
+"I think it would be unreasonable to refuse to make a trial of it,
+after we have spent years fruitlessly testing other things," was
+the somewhat sharp reply. Then she added, as she turned her face
+towards home: "I think I will have to go back now, Phil. I have
+been out nearly an hour, and I must not impose upon Miss Minturn.
+This walk and talk have done me good, though. I feel both cheered
+and refreshed."
+
+They walked briskly back to the seminary, chatting socially on
+various topics, and Dr. Stanley was glad to see a healthful glow
+upon his companion's cheeks and a brighter look in her eyes by the
+time they entered the building.
+
+They found Katherine reading the ninety-first psalm to Dorothy,
+who was lying restfully among her pillows, with a look of peace in
+her eyes that was like balm to the mother's aching heart.
+
+The moment Phillip Stanley caught sight of Katherine he settled
+his chin with a resolute air, a sudden purpose taking form in his
+thought.
+
+"Emelie," he said, in his sister's ear, "will you manage so that I
+can have a few minutes' conversation with Miss Minturn?"
+
+She nodded, giving him a bright look, then went forward to
+Dorothy's side, while Dr. Stanley turned to greet Katherine, who
+had risen upon their appearance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+DR. STANLEY ASKS SOME QUESTIONS.
+
+
+"We meet occasionally, Miss Minturn," Dr. Stanley observed in a
+genial tone, as he cordially extended his hand to her. "I hope
+everything is progressing satisfactorily in the junior class."
+
+"As far as I know, all is well," she returned, her scarlet lips
+parting in a smile that just showed the tips of her white teeth,
+though she flushed slightly under her companion's glance. "I can
+speak with authority for only one, however. I am compelled to work
+pretty diligently; but I rather enjoy that."
+
+"I am sure you do. I recall a fluent reading from Horace, which I
+inadvertently interrupted on the Ivernia, last fall, and which
+must have required earnest application; and I also remember that
+that same student could not be tempted from her task until the
+lesson was done," the gentleman rejoined, jocosely. Then turning
+to Dorothy, he inquired:
+
+"And how does my small niece find herself this afternoon?"
+
+"Miss Minturn, I have enjoyed my walk more than I can tell you,"
+said Mrs. Seabrook, as she removed her hat and wrap, but wondering
+at the unaccustomed crimson in the girl's cheeks. "And now," she
+added, "if you have time I would like to show you a portfolio of
+engravings which Prof. Seabrook received last week from an old
+classmate who is now abroad."
+
+Katherine could never resist fine pictures, and followed her
+hostess into an adjoining room, where the portfolio was placed
+upon a table, and she was invited to inspect its contents at her
+leisure, Mrs. Seabrook excusing herself to prepare some
+nourishment for Dorothy.
+
+Katherine found many of the engravings to be copies of paintings
+by some of the great masters, and which she had seen, in various
+galleries, the previous summer. They were very finely executed,
+and she became so absorbed in them that she was unconscious of the
+presence of anyone until Dr. Stanley's smooth, cultured tones fell
+upon her startled ears.
+
+"That is a beautiful thing, Miss Minturn," he observed, bending
+nearer to look more closely at a copy of a section of the
+'Creation' as painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the
+Vatican at Rome. "The foreshortening and perspective there is
+wonderful! Michael Angelo was the master of them all! Of course,
+you have seen many of the wonders of that great storehouse of
+art?"
+
+"Yes; mamma and I spent a great deal of time in the Vatican. What
+a treasure vault it is!" Katherine replied, and then, as she
+turned other pictures to view, they fell to talking of scenes
+familiar to them both.
+
+At length she came upon a reproduction of the healing of the lame
+man by Peter, at the "Gate Beautiful" of the Temple in Jerusalem.
+
+It was full of strength and life, as well as of touches of beauty
+and pathos, and the girl's face lighted with keen appreciation as
+she saw it.
+
+"That is a queer story," Dr. Stanley observed, and eagerly seizing
+the opportunity for which he had been waiting.
+
+"Queer?" repeated Katherine, inquiringly.
+
+"Yes; it seems so to me. Do you believe that man--Peter, I
+believe, was his name--performed that cure instantaneously, as
+related?"
+
+"No; but God did, working through him," said Katherine.
+
+"You firmly believe that such an incident really occurred?"
+
+"I certainly do."
+
+"And you just as firmly believe that such healing can be done
+now?"
+
+The girl lifted a quick, searching look to her companion, half
+expecting to see the skeptical curl, which she so well remembered,
+wreathing his mobile lips.
+
+But, instead, she found herself looking into a pair of grave,
+earnest blue eyes, and there was no sign of levity or derision in
+the fine face.
+
+"Yes, it has been done many times during the last thirty years,"
+she quietly replied.
+
+"Do you speak from actual knowledge or only from hearsay?"
+
+"Both. I know of two cases, and my mother could tell you of
+several others."
+
+"Do you believe that Dorothy could be healed? made straight and
+well?"
+
+"Oh, Dr. Stanley!" Katherine breathed, with luminous eyes. "Yes,
+indeed! yes. Will they try the Science for her? Oh! how I have
+yearned to have that dear child made whole!"
+
+Her face was so radiant with hope, yet so softly tender and so
+beautiful, the physician was deeply moved.
+
+"I cannot say as to that," he replied. "But will you tell me, Miss
+Minturn, what, in your method, heals the sick?"
+
+"God--the power that created the universe and holds it in His
+grasp, who 'spake and it was done.'"
+
+"Ah! but that is so vague, so intangible, I cannot comprehend your
+meaning," said the man, with an impatient shrug of his broad
+shoulders. "I do not doubt the existence of God," he continued,
+"nor His omnipotence, for I believe that the Creator must have all
+power over His own creation. But how--how can suffering humanity
+avail itself of that power? If I could grasp that--if I were sure
+it could be done by a really scientific process, I would never
+again prescribe a drug or touch a surgical instrument."
+
+He spoke with evident emotion, almost passionately, for they could
+hear Dorothy sobbing, from the returning pain, in the other room,
+and, with all his learning and experience, the man had a heart-
+sickening sense of discouragement in view of his own and others'
+helplessness to cope with that demon of torture which was surely
+destroying his niece and, indirectly, wearing to a shadow his only
+sister.
+
+"You say you believe in God--that you do not doubt His power; but
+is that statement of your attitude quite true, Dr. Stanley?"
+Katherine gently inquired. "If you really believed it, if all who
+claim that they have faith in an omnipotent God really believed
+it, would you or they ever assume that drugs or surgical
+instruments were needed to assist God to do His work?"
+
+"Jove! that is an argument that has never occurred to me before!"
+Phillip Stanley exclaimed. "But," he went on, doubtfully, "the
+curse came, and man was driven to do something to mitigate it; and
+it has been conceded, all down the ages, that these same doctors
+and material remedies are agencies that were required and provided
+by an all-wise Providence for that purpose."
+
+"Yes, man, in his arrogance, has claimed that, and so has
+practically denied the omnipotence of God. But this same God has
+said, over and over, 'Whatsoever ye ask ye shall receive,' and
+'Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden and I will
+give you rest.' But he has never said, 'Ask to be healed of
+disease and I will send you doctors, to experiment with drugs,
+roots and herbs, and mechanical appliances;' or, 'if ye are worn
+out with care and heavy-laden with suffering they shall build you
+costly sanitariums, wherein to rest and be treated.' But only the
+rich or a favored few may avail themselves of these. If these
+remedies or retreats were infallible and could reach all mankind,
+there might be some plausibility in such arguments; but such is
+not the case, as you must know. Where, in God's Word, which is
+conceded to be the guide for humanity, do you find authority for
+them?" Katherine inquired, in conclusion.
+
+"You have me there, Miss Minturn," rejoined her companion, with a
+quizzical smile; "honesty compels me to confess that I have not
+been much of a Bible student, at least of late years. But allow me
+to say that your arguments against doctors, drugs and hospitals
+are very quaint, not to say convincing," he added, with an amused
+laugh.
+
+"Well, let me assure you that you cannot find an instance, from
+Genesis to Revelation, where God commands man to call upon
+physicians, or to use material remedies for sickness any more than
+for sin," Katherine continued, earnestly. "But we do find many
+injunctions to depend upon Him alone in such extremity. In
+Deuteronomy we read, 'And the Lord will take away from thee all
+sickness.' Again, we are told what the penalty is for not calling
+upon Him--'Asa died because he sought the physicians and not unto
+God.' David tells us, 'It is God who healeth all our diseases,'
+and there are many more passages I could quote to prove the
+point."
+
+"But why, if that is the only right way, has not God made it so
+plain that no one could go astray?" questioned Dr. Stanley.
+
+"He has made it plain, and man would not go astray if he were
+obedient; but, in his arrogance and egotism, he has ignored God
+and 'sought out many inventions' [Footnote: Eccles., 7.29.] to rob
+Him of His prerogative," said Katherine.
+
+"Well, to go back still farther, why has God permitted such evils
+and untold misery to exist in the world?" thoughtfully inquired
+the gentleman.
+
+"He has not 'permitted' it," the girl positively declared.
+
+"Isn't that rather a bold assertion, if God is omnipotent?"
+Phillip Stanley demanded, in surprise.
+
+"No; for He asserts that He looks on evil with 'no degree of
+allowance.' For instance, you are supposed to be supreme in the
+sick room, your word law; but if your patient ignores your
+directions and remedies and substitutes others in place of them,
+you are not 'permitting' such willful disobedience. But the
+patient suffers for it none the less, and you are in no way
+responsible for his condition. So mortals, in their presumption
+and perverseness, have become idolaters, have set up false gods or
+devices to rob God of His power. Take another illustration: Truth
+and honesty are supreme in their realm, but there are people who
+prefer to lie when truth would serve them better, and who would
+rather steal than get an honest living. But truth and honesty do
+not permit--are not responsible for such perversion. Until the
+liar and the thief turn to truth and honesty, to reclaim them,
+they will suffer from the results of their sins; they cannot
+substitute anything else."
+
+"I see your point, Miss Minturn, and you have given me something
+to think of. You argue, too, like a veritable doctor of divinity,"
+said Dr. Stanley, with a smile.
+
+"Oh! no, I do not," retorted Katherine, with a roguish gleam in
+her brown eyes; "for, let your doctor of divinity get sick and he
+will argue for material remedies every time."
+
+"That is true, and my intellect, my education and experience
+prompt me to reason from the same standpoint," was the grave
+response. "My professional pride also cries out 'Absurd!
+Impossible! Impractical!' But I dearly love that little girl in
+there," and the man's voice grew gentle as a woman's and trembled
+in spite of his manhood, as he glanced towards the adjoining room.
+"I love my sister, whose life is a mental and physical martyrdom,
+and I would sacrifice all I have--yea, even professional authority
+and pride--to bring health and happiness to them. There is one
+thing left to try for Dorothy, to relieve that pain--only one; but
+my heart shrinks, revolts from it. That is why I have sought this
+conversation with you, Miss Minturn, hoping to get a little
+insight regarding your methods; and, while I do not grasp the so-
+called 'science' of it at all, I am impressed that you Scientists
+have something that we physicians have not. But I marvel at your
+profound thought upon such a subject at your age."
+
+"You would not marvel at my ability to elucidate a difficult
+problem in trigonometry?" said Katherine, smiling.
+
+"No, for that would be a natural outgrowth of your education."
+
+"Yes, and the same argument holds good regarding what we have been
+talking of," was the quick response. "I have been taught it from
+my youth up, and although I know but very little of Christian
+Science, for it is infinite, yet what I have learned I know just
+as clearly as I know certain statements in the 'History of the
+United States'; yes, far more clearly," she interposed, with a
+little laugh, "for I am obliged to take the historian's account
+for granted, in part, while I can demonstrate, prove Christian
+Science for myself."
+
+Dr. Stanley's shapely brows were arched ever so slightly at this
+assertion.
+
+"Have you ever done any healing, Miss Minturn?" he inquired. "Have
+you ever cured anyone of a severe illness?"
+
+Katharine flushed under his glance and question.
+
+"A person cannot be said to know very much about mathematics
+unless he is able to demonstrate mathematical problems," she
+observed, after a moment of hesitation.
+
+"I see; you mean that anyone who acquires the principles of
+Christian Science can demonstrate it by healing the sick?"
+
+"Yes. It is the Christ-science, or the Science of Christianity, as
+demonstrated and taught by Jesus, who said, 'The works that I do
+shall ye do also if ye believe in Me.' So anyone who
+conscientiously investigates it, from an honest desire to know the
+Truth, will grow into the practice of it."
+
+"Miss Minturn, do you believe that you could help Dorothy?"
+earnestly inquired Phillip Stanley.
+
+"I know that she could be helped under right conditions; and I
+wish--I feel sure that my mother's understanding is sufficient to
+meet the case," she thoughtfully returned.
+
+"'Under right conditions,' what do you mean by that?"
+
+"Dorothy would have to be willing to be treated, and the consent
+of Prof. and Mrs. Seabrook would also be necessary."
+
+"Then nothing could be done for her by your method except under
+those conditions?" and Dr. Stanley's tone conveyed a sense of
+disappointment.
+
+"No; it would not be right--it would be interfering where one
+would have no authority to intrude."
+
+"But it would be doing good; that is always justifiable, is it
+not? even if the child could be given but one night's peaceful
+rest to prove its efficacy."
+
+"Some physicians believe in hypnotism; do you?" Katherine
+inquired, with apparent irrelevancy.
+
+"Well, under certain circumstances, it might be employed to
+advantage, but, as a rule, I am opposed to it."
+
+"We utterly repudiate it as a very dangerous and demoralizing
+practice; but, Dr. Stanley, would you think it right, under any
+circumstances, for a person to hypnotize you without your
+consent?"
+
+"Indeed I would not; it would be a dastardly act," emphatically
+declared the physician.
+
+"On the same principle, Christian Scientists feel that they have
+no right to treat, or try to influence anyone mentally, even to do
+good, without permission," Katherine explained, as she arose,
+thinking, perhaps, enough had been said on the subject.
+
+"Just one moment, please, Miss Minturn," said the gentleman,
+detaining her. "There is one thing more I would like to speak of.
+Will you kindly look me directly in the eyes?" Somewhat surprised,
+Katherine turned her glance upon his and looked searchingly into
+those fine eyes so deeply blue, but flushing as she did so.
+
+"Can you detect any difference in them?" he questioned.
+
+"No, I cannot," she said, and knowing now why he had asked it, for
+she remembered what Miss Reynolds had told her.
+
+"Well, there is," he affirmed, "for I am blind in my left eye,
+although scarcely anyone would observe it; at least I can only
+discern light from darkness. It was caused by an accident when I
+was a child. Do you believe, Miss Minturn, that normal sight could
+be restored to that eye?"
+
+"I know that it could," Katherine began.
+
+"Yes, of course, you know that God has power to restore it," her
+companion interposed; "but do you believe any practitioner would
+take my case and encourage me to hope for such a result?"
+
+"Assuredly," said the girl, with unwavering confidence.
+
+"Truly, your faith is unbounded," Phillip Stanley observed, with a
+smile in which there was a glimmer of skepticism. "I wish it could
+find an echo in my own heart, for I would give a great deal for so
+priceless a boon. But where do your practitioners go to learn
+their method?"
+
+"To our text-book, 'Science and Health.' It--"
+
+"That little leather-covered book I used to see you reading on
+shipboard?"
+
+"Yes; it contains the whole of Christian Science, and, Dr.
+Stanley"--with a significant nod--"he who will may read."
+
+"I understand"--with a responsive laugh--"one has to put forth
+individual effort in order to acquire valuable knowledge. Pray
+pardon me for detaining you so long, and possibly I may ask to
+talk with you further after I have consulted my sister and her
+husband. Really, Miss Minturn"--he interposed in a deprecatory
+tone and flushing with a sense of the incongruity of his position-
+-"I am afraid I am rather faithless, but something impels me to
+suggest that a trial be given the Science treatment before the
+adoption of severe measures. Good-afternoon, and thank you for
+your courtesy and patience."
+
+He shook hands cordially with her, then bowed himself away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+PROF. SEABROOK'S ULTIMATUM--AND BROKEN RULES.
+
+
+Dr. Stanley, after sitting a while with Dorothy, to watch the
+effect of a remedy given to relieve her suffering, went directly
+back to the city, wearing a very thoughtful face.
+
+Upon reaching his office, and finding no one awaiting him, he
+picked up a book from his desk and went out again, directing his
+steps towards the public library.
+
+Arriving there, he searched the catalogue and, at length, finding
+the title he desired, wrote the number on his card and presented
+his book to be exchanged.
+
+When the wished-for volume was handed to him he opened the cover
+and glanced at the title page, reading therefrom, "Science and
+Health, with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker G. Eddy." A
+peculiar smile, in which there may have been a trace of self-
+contempt, wreathed his lips as he slipped it under his arm and
+then made his way from the building.
+
+He stopped at a cafe near by and partook of a light meal, after
+which he returned to his office and read from his book as long as
+daylight lasted, without once laying it aside. Then, lighting a
+student lamp, he became absorbed again, reading on until the clock
+struck ten.
+
+"There is much I do not understand! much I cannot grasp!" he
+exclaimed, a note of impatience in his voice, and the perplexing
+work was tossed somewhat irreverently upon the table. "It so
+radically reverses preconceived ideas and opinions; it seems so
+abstruse, vague and intangible, it irritates me. And yet, in the
+light of what Mrs. Minturn and her daughter have told me, I
+believe I have caught a glimpse, here and there, of the meaning of
+some of its statements. It is like trying to march through a
+tangled wilderness," he continued, as he picked up the book again
+and slowly slipped the leaves through his fingers; "but I'll read
+the thing through, now that I have begun it, though I have a
+suspicion that I shall only get deeper into an impenetrable
+thicket."
+
+While Phillip Stanley was thus engaged, Mrs. Seabrook was
+earnestly discussing the same subject with her husband. She
+related to him her recent conversation with her brother, also her
+suspicions regarding what had so almost miraculously banished Miss
+Reynolds' severe malady, and repeated some things which she had
+overheard during her brother's interview with Katherine.
+
+Prof. Seabrook, usually so considerate and tender in all his
+relations with his dear ones--such a gentle man in every sense of
+the word--sat listening with averted face and brow heavily
+overcast, his finely chiseled lips compressed into an obstinate,
+rigid line.
+
+"William, do let us give it a trial; it certainly could do no
+harm, and it might give Dorrie some relief from the pain," pleaded
+his wife, but studying the unsympathetic face opposite her with
+mingled anxiety and surprise.
+
+There was an awkward silence when she concluded; but at length her
+companion observed, in a repressed tone:
+
+"Emelie, Phillip and I have already discussed this subject."
+
+"I know; he has told me, Will; but I thought, perhaps, after you
+had given the matter more consideration, in view of these recent
+developments, you might think more favorably of it," Mrs. Seabrook
+eagerly interposed.
+
+"But I do not think more favorably of it," was the cold response.
+
+"But why? What possible objection can you have to giving the
+method a trial?" queried Mrs. Seabrook and flushing with momentary
+indignation at his intolerant attitude. "You have eagerly welcomed
+and tried everything that numerous physicians have suggested and
+which, after years of patient experimenting, have done absolutely
+no good. I cannot understand why you should be so obstinately
+opposed to what anyone can see, can do no possible harm, even if
+no permanent relief is derived from it."
+
+"I am not so sure that 'no harm' would result from it," the
+professor observed, in an inflexible voice.
+
+"I wish you would explain what you mean, Will, and not hold
+yourself so obscurely aloof from the subject," returned his wife,
+with unusual spirit and an unaccustomed spark in her mild eyes. "I
+am not a child, to be merely told that a thing is not good for me,
+and consequently cannot have it. If there is a good and sufficient
+reason why Dorothy shall not have Christian Science treatment, I
+would like to know what it is. For eight years I, as well as my
+child, have been a martyr in a chamber of torture, and my burden
+is growing heavier than I can bear."
+
+Her lips quivered and her voice broke with those last words.
+
+Her husband reached out his hand and laid it caressingly against
+her face, drawing her head down upon his shoulder.
+
+"I know it, sweetheart," he said, with tremulous tenderness, "and
+my own heart rebels against it every day of my life. Perhaps I
+have seemed arrogant in my attitude toward what you have
+suggested. I feel so. I am utterly intolerant of Christian Science
+and will have nothing to do with it."
+
+"But why, Will? You do not state any reason. Why do you condemn it
+without a trial--without investigation? You know nothing about it-
+---"
+
+"I know all I wish," the man interrupted, with curling lips. "I
+have never mentioned the fact, but I have read the Christian
+Science text-book and have found it to be a conglomeration of the
+most absurd statements, theories and contradictions it has ever
+been my lot to peruse. As a matter of principle, as a Christian, I
+abjure its teachings, for they are diametrically opposed to my
+religious views; and as a D.D. and a Ph.D. I feel that I should be
+subjecting myself to the rankest criticism and ridicule were I to
+give it countenance in any way whatsoever. I do not stand alone in
+my attitude, by any means, for the book has been discussed in our
+Philosophical Association, which, as you well know, is composed of
+some of the brightest men and most profound thinkers in the State;
+and it was utterly repudiated and denounced as fallacious and un-
+Christian in its teachings, and calculated to do inestimable harm.
+The idea of an obscure woman setting herself up as a reconstructor
+of the religious faiths of the world! It is simply the height of
+presumption and absurdity," he concluded, with considerable heat.
+
+"But when you think of it, how much better it would be if there
+was only 'one Lord, one faith and one baptism' in the world,
+instead of hundreds. How is anyone to know which is the right
+one?" said Mrs. Seabrook, thoughtfully. "We claim to be
+Presbyterians, but we can offer no proof that our creed is better
+than any other, while the Christian Scientists claim that their
+healing proves their religion to be the Christianity taught by the
+Master."
+
+"Yes, they claim a great deal; but they want to overturn
+altogether too much for me to accept it," dryly observed her
+husband.
+
+"But they maintain that it is founded on the Bible."
+
+"True; and that is wherein it is most harmful. It is the false
+teaching calculated to 'deceive the very elect.' Emelie, it
+irritates me to talk about it; let us drop it, please," and with a
+frowning brow the man arose and restlessly paced the floor.
+
+"Then you will not consent to try the healing for Dorothy?" and
+there was a plaintive note in the weary mother's voice which smote
+painfully upon the husband's ears.
+
+"No."
+
+That ended the conversation, and with a heavy heart Mrs. Seabrook
+went back to her child to take up her accustomed night vigil, but
+with a secret sense of injustice and rebellion such as she had
+seldom experienced.
+
+That same evening, after supper, when Katherine went to her room
+she found Sadie dressing to go out.
+
+The girl looked flushed and excited, a condition so at variance
+with her usual composure and languid manner that Katherine
+regarded her with surprise. She was also making a rather elaborate
+toilet, and she wondered where she could be going.
+
+"Oh! honey," she exclaimed, as her chum appeared in the doorway,
+"don't you want to come with me?"
+
+"Where? Is there a theater party on the tapis?" Katherine
+inquired, as she watched a labored effort to tie a coquettish bow
+at her throat.
+
+"Oh! no; I have to go down to Madam Alberti's for my new hat. I
+want it for church to-morrow," Sadie explained. "I have
+permission, but can't go alone, you know. Annie Fletcher was going
+with me, but her brother has just come--so that's off."
+
+"Why, yes; I'd like the walk," said Katherine, with animation.
+"But I supposed, from the 'fuss and feathers' you are putting on,
+that you were bound either for the theater or to make a
+fashionable call."
+
+"Well--you know it doesn't get dark very early now, and one meets
+so many people on the street, especially on Saturday evening, one
+must look passable," Sadie returned, but the flush on her cheeks
+grew brighter while she spoke.
+
+Katherine hastily donned her hat, and, taking a light wrap on her
+arm, signified her readiness to accompany her.
+
+On their way downstairs Miss Minot stopped at Miss Williams' door.
+
+"I've got to tell her that Annie can't go, and I am taking you in
+her place," she said, as she rapped for admittance.
+
+"Of course, Miss Minturn can go if she has no special duties,"
+Miss Williams observed, when the matter was explained to her.
+"And," she added, archly, "I think the change is all for the best,
+for when I allow two mischief-loving girls, like you and Annie, to
+go off by themselves, I sometimes have rather more of a sense of
+responsibility than is comfortable."
+
+"Now, Miss Williams, that is rather hard on Annie and me," drawled
+Sadie, while the quick color flew to her face again, "though I'm
+sure it's a right smart compliment to Katherine. But thank you all
+the same for permission, and--I reckon you'll feel perfectly 'com-
+fortable'--you'll not be afraid there's any mischief brewing now,"
+she concluded, demurely.
+
+"No, indeed; I know you are in excellent hands," smiled Miss
+Williams, and the two girls went on their way.
+
+The walk "downtown" was delightful, for the evening was balmy and
+fragrant with unfolding flowers and foliage. Arriving at Madam
+Alberti's, they found her fashionable rooms filled with customers,
+and were obliged to wait sometime before Miss Minot could be
+served.
+
+Then, when the hat was finally brought, there was something that
+did not quite suit her fastidious taste and had to be changed. By
+the time this was effected it had grown quite dark outside; but as
+they started out Sadie lingered by the door and looked up and down
+the street with an air of expectation, mingled with some anxiety,
+Katherine thought.
+
+"Let us go into Neal's for a soda and some candy," Sadie at length
+proposed, and, as candy was also one of Katherine's weaknesses,
+they stepped into a confectioner's, next door, and made their
+purchases. While waiting for their change a young man, stylishly
+attired, approached Sadie and, lifting his hat, saluted her with
+much empressement.
+
+Sadie smiled, blushed, and addressed him as "Mr. Willard," then
+introduced Katherine, who was beginning to understand some things
+that had puzzled her, and to feel quite uncomfortable.
+
+They stood chatting together until their change was handed them,
+when they passed out of the store, Mr. Willard taking possession
+of Miss Minot's bandbox with an air of proprietorship which, to
+say the least, was suggestive.
+
+When they reached the first corner Katherine halted.
+
+"I suppose we will take a car, Sadie, it is getting so late," she
+quietly remarked.
+
+"Oh, it is so fine, let us walk back," said the girl, appealingly.
+
+Katherine was dismayed, particularly as Mr. Willard supplemented,
+affably:
+
+"I hope you can be persuaded, Miss Minturn. It will give me great
+pleasure to see you safely home."
+
+Katherine knew it would never do. It would be a rank violation of
+the rules, which explicitly stated that no young lady could
+receive attention from young men without permission direct from
+the principal, on penalty of expulsion.
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Willard; but I think we will take a car," she
+courteously but decidedly replied.
+
+"Oh, come now, Katharine, don't be disobliging," Sadie here
+interposed; "there can be no harm in our walking quietly back to
+the seminary together. Ned--er--Mr. Willard has met Prof.
+Seabrook, and it will be all right."
+
+The slip which revealed Mr. Willard's first name, and also
+betrayed something of the intimacy which existed between the young
+couple, appalled Katherine, and confirmed her suspicions that the
+meeting had been previously planned, and drove her to radical
+measures.
+
+She turned politely to the young man and observed:
+
+"Mr. Willard, if we had Prof. Seabrook's permission, no doubt the
+walk would be very enjoyable; but since we have not, and the rules
+are explicit, I am sure you will appreciate our position and
+excuse us. There is our car. Will you kindly signal for us?"
+
+Of course there was nothing for the gentleman to do but obey,
+which he did with an icy:
+
+"Certainly, Miss Minturn, and pray pardon my intrusion."
+
+They were obliged to wait a moment for some people to alight, and
+during the delay Katherine heard him say in an aside to her
+roommate:
+
+"Next time, Sadie, don't bring a prude with you."
+
+"Next time!" Katherine repeated to herself, with a, heart-bound of
+astonishment. These meetings, then, were of frequent occurrence,
+and there was no telling what regret and disgrace her friend was
+storing up. For herself, for it was only a question of time when
+she would be found out.
+
+Of course, she could not talk the matter over with her on the car,
+but when they alighted and were entering the school grounds she
+felt she must speak a word of caution.
+
+"Sadie, did you have an appointment to meet Mr. Willard to-night?"
+she inquired.
+
+"Well, suppose I did!" was the defiant retort.
+
+"If you did, you certainly had no right to draw me into anything
+of the kind," said Katherine, indignantly. "It was not an
+honorable thing to do."
+
+"Well, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to give me
+away?" demanded the girl, tartly.
+
+Katherine flushed.
+
+"I have no wish to tell tales of anyone," she replied; "but,
+truly, I do not like what I have heard and seen to-night. Sadie, I
+overheard what Mr. Willard said to you just as we were getting on
+the car."
+
+"Lor'! Did you? Well, of course, he didn't like it; to have all
+our fun spoiled and---"
+
+"And it proved to me that you are in the habit of meeting him
+clandestinely," interposed Katherine, determined to sift the
+affair to the bottom.
+
+"I'm sure I don't know what business you have to meddle,"
+spiritedly began the girl, when Katherine checked her again by
+saying:
+
+"You know, Sadie, that my only thought is to save you from getting
+into trouble," and she laid a gentle hand upon the arm of the
+angry girl.
+
+"I reckon I made a mistake asking you to go with me," Sadie
+observed, in a calmer tone after a moment of silence, "but--but--
+Katherine, I might as well own up--I'm--engaged to Ned Willard."
+
+"Engaged! Sadie! Where did you meet him? How long have you known
+him?" exclaimed Katherine, aghast.
+
+"Oh, about three months. I met him the night Mrs. Bryant gave that
+theater party."
+
+"Did Mrs. Bryant introduce him to you? Was he with her party?"
+
+"N-o; but Nellie Nixon knew him and introduced us on our way out
+after the play."
+
+"Does your guardian know of your engagement?"
+
+"No. Ned thought it would be as well not to say anything about it
+at present," Sadie reluctantly admitted, but cringing visibly at
+the question.
+
+"Dearest," said Katherine, fondly, "I feel that I have no right to
+'meddle,' as you say, in your affairs, but I do not see how you
+can respect or trust a man who would draw you into a secret
+engagement and then endanger your reputation and standing in
+school by insisting upon clandestine meetings. If he possessed a
+fine sense of honor he would go to your guardian, frankly tell him
+of his regard for you, and ask his permission to address you
+openly. What is Mr. Willard's business, Sadie?"
+
+"I--I don't know," the girl confessed, with\ embarrassment. Then
+bridling, added: "Well, but I don't care shucks about that. I have
+money enough for both--or shall have next year, when I am twenty-
+one."
+
+"I am afraid he is of the same opinion," Katherine said, to
+herself; but, thinking it might be unwise to dwell upon that
+point, made no reply.
+
+"You are not going to tell anyone, honey," Sadie pleaded, and
+pausing upon the steps before entering the building. "I think it
+will be downright mean if you do," she added, hotly, as she saw
+the troubled look on her chum's face.
+
+"Sadie, I wouldn't for the world do anything for the sake of being
+'mean'; but I am sure you are doing very wrong, and will deeply
+regret it some day," was the grave reply.
+
+"If you give me away it will get me into an awful scrape."
+
+"I know it; and my greatest concern is to save you from anything
+of the kind. Will you stop meeting Mr. Willard on the sly?"
+
+"Oh, Katherine, and not see him at all!" exclaimed Sadie, in a
+voice of dismay.
+
+"Dear, are you so fond of him?" queried Katherine, gently.
+
+The girl flushed from neck to brow.
+
+"Indeed--indeed, I am," she confessed, with downcast eyes.
+
+"Well, then, if it has gone that far he should at least allow you
+to respect him!" said Katherine, a thrill of indignation vibrating
+in her tones. "Don't go on this way, Sadie," she pleaded; "write
+him that you cannot meet him again in any such way; but tell him,
+if he will make himself known to your guardian, and get his
+permission to call upon you, you will receive him here."
+
+"If I will do that, will you promise not to say anything about to-
+night?" demanded the girl, eagerly.
+
+"Yes," Katherine replied, after a moment of thought; at the same
+time she did not feel quite satisfied with the state of affairs.
+
+"All right; I will write Ned to-morrow and tell him," Sadie
+returned, with a sigh of relief as they entered the building and
+passed on to their room.
+
+Before going to rest, Katherine slipped away to see Miss Reynolds
+and ascertain if she could do anything for her before retiring.
+
+She found her reading, but Miss Reynolds at once laid down her
+book and welcomed the girl with a bright smile.
+
+"I am all right, Kathie, and I have been having a perfect feast,"
+she said, touching the "Science and Health" in her lap.
+
+They spent a few minutes in social chat, then she sent Katherine
+away, saying she must make up the sleep she had lost the night
+before, and our faithful little Scientist was glad, after her busy
+day, to seek her couch, where she was soon sleeping peacefully and
+knew no more until she awoke the next morning to find the bright
+May sunshine flooding her room, and told herself, with a sigh of
+content, that it was the Sabbath, and a whole restful day of truth
+and love before her.
+
+She was made happy, on descending to breakfast, to find Miss
+Reynolds in her accustomed seat. They exchanged smiling glances,
+and, later, the teacher said, in a low tone:
+
+"Come to my room this afternoon, Kathie, if you have nothing
+special to do; I have more questions for you."
+
+Katherine said she would, and, as soon as the meal was over,
+hastened away to prepare for church.
+
+It was a beautiful day, and she decided to walk instead of taking
+a car, as usual. She reached the hall just in season to slip into
+a seat before the opening hymn was given out.
+
+When she arose with the congregation to sing, she glanced around
+to see if there was anyone near her whom she knew. Her
+astonishment may be imagined when her eye fell upon Jennie Wild,
+just across the aisle from her.
+
+The girl had also espied her and nodded a smiling and half-defiant
+recognition, which Katherine gravely returned.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+THE STORY OF A STRAY WAIF.
+
+
+For a moment Katherine felt as if she were being made the target
+for the arrows of error from every quarter; for here was another
+lawless girl on her hands, and another infraction of rules which
+threatened to involve her in disagreeable complications.
+
+But, after silently declaring that "evil could not make her its
+channel, either directly or indirectly," she resolutely put
+disturbing thoughts away, determined that her mind should not be
+distracted from the lesson.
+
+She did observe, however, that Jennie paid the strictest attention
+throughout the service, joining in the Lord's Prayer, and in the
+hymns with a vigor which indicated thorough enjoyment of that
+portion of it.
+
+The moment the benediction was pronounced she came directly to her
+and greeted her with a half-deprecatory air, but with a roguish
+gleam in her saucy eyes.
+
+Katherine lingered a little to speak to some acquaintances, and
+also introduced her companion; then they passed out of the hall
+together.
+
+"Did you have Prof. Seabrook's permission to come here this
+morning, Jennie?" Katherine inquired, when they were on the
+street, but feeling confident of receiving a negative reply.
+
+Jennie took refuge in one of her comical grimaces and shrugged her
+plump shoulders.
+
+"Ask me no questions and I will tell you no--stories," she
+laughingly rejoined.
+
+"I am answered," Katherine gravely observed.
+
+"I don't care. I wanted to come, and I knew it wouldn't do to ask
+the professor, after what he said to you about Christian Science,"
+said the girl, in self-justification, but flushing consciously
+beneath the look of disapproval in her companion's eyes. "I think
+the service was just lovely," she went on, glibly. "How happy all
+those people seemed--as if there wasn't a thing in the world to
+trouble them. And that 'silent prayer'!--it just made me think of
+Elijah and the 'still small voice,' after the tempest and the
+earthquake. I was sorry when it was over."
+
+"I am glad you enjoyed the services, Jennie. They are always very
+restful to me, and Sunday is my day to be marked with a 'white
+stone' for that reason," and there was a look of peace in the
+soft, brown eyes that assured Jennie of the truth of her words.
+
+"Oh, I think Sunday is a bore, as a rule," she observed, with
+another shrug. "I'm always lonesome if I don't go to church, and,
+if I do, I never know 'where I am at'--as the Irishman put it--
+after listening to a long sermon. That was a queer idea, though,
+in the lesson to-day, about there being only one Mind in the
+universe. Where do you get your authority for that, Miss Minturn?"
+
+"There is but one God, who is Spirit or Mind, and He is
+omnipresent," Katherine explained.
+
+"What are you going to do with us, then? I mean your mind and
+mine?"
+
+"This mortal mind is only a counterfeit--"
+
+"A counterfeit of what?"
+
+"Of the One Mind, or the divine intelligence. The same as gas and
+electric light are counterfeits of real light from the sun, or the
+one source of light; but, oh, dear! I am talking Science, Jennie,
+and Prof. Seabrook said I must not," said Katherine, cutting
+herself short.
+
+"The idea of trying to bridle anyone's tongue, in any such way, in
+this free country!" cried Jennie, aggressively. "But that lady
+read from the Bible that there is 'nothing covered that shall not
+be revealed, neither hid that shall not be made known'; then the
+man read something about it being a law of God for truth to
+uncover error. Do you believe that, Miss Minturn?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Do you Scientists really know how to find out anything that is
+hidden or--or secret?" eagerly inquired the girl.
+
+"I think I don't quite catch your meaning, Jennie."
+
+"I'll tell you why I asked you that," she replied, an intense look
+in her dark eyes, her cheeks flushing crimson. "Perhaps you have
+heard something about me--that--that I am a kind of waif?"
+
+"Yes, I have, dear," Katherine admitted.
+
+"Well, it is true, and I'll tell you all about it," was the
+confidential rejoinder. "My aunt--she taught me to call her so,
+though she isn't related to me in any way--was traveling from
+Kansas City to Chicago, about sixteen years ago, and there was a
+terrible accident. Auntie was in a rear car and wasn't hurt in the
+least, but the first and second sleepers were completely wrecked.
+A good many people were killed, and others so badly injured they
+didn't live long. As soon as auntie could pull herself together
+she went out to see if she could help anybody, and she found me, a
+little tot only a year old, screaming in the gutter beside the
+track. She took me back into her car and looked me over, to see if
+I was injured; but, aside from a few bruises and scratches, I
+appeared to be all right, and, after a while, she quieted and
+soothed me to sleep. Then she went out again to try to learn to
+whom I belonged; but she could not get the slightest clew, and
+everyone said the person or persons I was with must have been
+among the killed. She advertised, and the railroad officials made
+every effort to find my friends for a long time; but nothing ever
+came of it. Auntie began to grow fond of me, and said she would
+never let me go until she had to give me up to my own folks. Of
+course, they have never been found, and so I grew up with her."
+
+"But wasn't there anything about you by which you could be
+identified?" inquired Katherine, who had been deeply interested in
+the pathetic story.
+
+"Nothing but a string of amber beads with a queer gold clasp, and
+with the initials 'A. A. to M. A. J.' engraved on the back of it.
+Now, do you think that Christian Science could solve such a riddle
+as that?" demanded the girl, in conclusion.
+
+Katherine smiled faintly.
+
+"There is nothing of clairvoyance in Christian Science, dear, and
+that is a hard question to explain to you," she said. "I mean
+difficult to answer so that you would clearly understand me. But
+it is sufficient for every human need, and very wonderful things
+have been demonstrated through the right comprehension of it. I
+know of men who govern their business by it, and who have solved
+some very perplexing problems. But I am talking again!" she
+exclaimed, and breaking off suddenly once more.
+
+"Oh, if I could only find out who I am, I'd be a Christian
+Scientist, or--anything else!" cried Jennie, with tears in her
+eyes, but gritting her teeth to keep the drops from falling. "It
+is dreadful to feel yourself to be such an enigma! Think of it! to
+have your identity lost. I get awfully worked up over it
+sometimes. Auntie is a dear, and I love her with all my heart, for
+she has been an angel of goodness to me. She isn't very well off,
+but she wanted me to have a first-class education and be with nice
+girls; so, after talking with Prof. Seabrook, she said if I would
+be willing to work for a part of the expense she would try to make
+up the rest."
+
+"How perfectly lovely of Miss Wild!" said Katherine, earnestly.
+"And you, too, Jennie, deserve great credit for your own efforts
+to get a good education. But--"
+
+"But what?"
+
+"I wonder if I may say it?" mused Katherine, doubtfully.
+
+Jennie slipped her hand within Katherine's arm and gave it a fond
+little hug.
+
+"Miss Minturn, I've loved you ever since the day you came to
+Hilton. You are a dear--you have been just as kind as you could be
+to me, and you may say anything you like," she impulsively
+returned.
+
+"Thank you; that is giving me a good deal of license," was the
+laughing response; "but what I wanted to say was--make the getting
+of your education, instead of fun, your chief object, and don't
+spoil your record by breaking rules."
+
+"As I have to-day, for instance?" supplemented Jennie, flushing.
+
+"Yes, to-day, and--on some other occasions that I could mention."
+
+The girl gave vent to a hearty, rollicking laugh.
+
+"You manage to see considerable with those innocent eyes of
+yours," she said, after a moment. "But I don't get very much fun
+after all. With all my work and my studies there is precious
+little time left me for recreation, and, sometimes, I get so full
+I just have to kick over the traces. But--surely you don't think I
+could get any harm from your service to-day," she concluded,
+demurely.
+
+"That is not the point, Miss Mischief, and you know it. Of course,
+there was nothing but good in the service for you, or anyone. But
+you didn't find anything in it--did you?--to countenance
+disobedience?"
+
+"No," said Jennie, seriously; "and I suppose, too, that if any of
+the teachers or girls had seen me come away from the hall with you
+it might have given the impression that you had countenanced my
+going. But, Miss Minturn, I have wanted to get at the secret of--
+of your dearness, ever since you came here. But I promise you,
+though, I will not put you in jeopardy again by running away to
+your church."
+
+Katherine nodded her approval at this assurance, then changed the
+subject, and they chatted pleasantly until they reached the
+seminary.
+
+After dinner Katherine repaired, as she had been requested, to
+Miss Reynolds' room. She found her teacher sitting at her desk,
+her Bible and "Science and Health" open before her.
+
+"You see, I cannot let the great subject alone," she said,
+welcoming the girl with a smile and glancing at her books. "Now
+that I have begun to get a glimpse of the truth, it is like a
+fountain of pure, cold water to a man perishing from thirst--I
+cannot get enough of it; I just want to immerse myself in it. And,
+see here," she added, touching a letter lying beside the books, "I
+have written to the publishing house in Boston for several of Mrs.
+Eddy's works. I want them for my very own."
+
+"You are surely making progress," Katherine returned, with shining
+eyes.
+
+She was very happy, for this eager, radiant woman seemed an
+entirely different being from the helpless sufferer to whom she
+had been called less than forty-eight hours previous.
+
+"Sit down, Kathie," said her teacher, indicating a chair near her.
+"I hope I am making progress," she added, growing suddenly grave.
+"I find there is need enough of it, and I have been both on the
+mount and into the valley to-day."
+
+"That is the experience of everyone," was the smiling reply, "but
+it all means progress just the same."
+
+"I see that everyone who begins to get a glimpse of the truth, in
+Christian Science, must also begin to live it at once, if he is
+honest."
+
+"Yes, we have to live it in order to prove it."
+
+"And the first thing to do is, as Jesus commanded, to have one God
+and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That word 'love' has taken
+on a new meaning for me to-day, Kathie. It means an impersonal
+love, which, like the 'rain'--in Jesus' simile--'falls alike upon
+the just and the unjust.'"
+
+Katherine lifted questioning eyes to the speaker, for her voice
+was now accusingly serious.
+
+"And one cannot demonstrate the Love that is God," she went on,
+"unless he loves in that way--without regard to personality."
+
+"That is true--how quickly you grasp these things!" said her
+companion.
+
+"Ah! but I have grasped something, with this, that is not at all
+agreeable," said the woman, with a peculiar glitter in her eyes
+which the girl had never seen there before.
+
+"How so? Pardon me, though, I should not have asked that,"
+corrected Katherine, flushing.
+
+"But I am going to tell you all the same," said Miss Reynolds.
+"Ten years ago my father died. He was supposed to be a rich man,
+but when his affairs were settled my mother and I were left with
+almost nothing. His partner represented that the firm was heavily
+involved, but said if we would sign our interest in the business
+over to him, for a certain amount, he would perhaps manage to pull
+through and save us the expense of having things adjusted by law.
+We were not at all satisfied with the state of affairs, but we
+were helpless, as we had no money to spend in litigation, and we
+were forced to accept his terms. He made over to us a small house
+on the outskirts of our town, together with a mere pittance, which
+barely served to support us until I secured a position as teacher.
+I have taken care of my mother and myself ever since. But that man
+and his family have never abated their style of living one whit,
+and are to-day rolling in luxury. There can be no doubt that we
+were robbed of a fortune, and yet there was no possible way of
+proving it. I have never been able to meet or even think of that
+man since, without smarting as under a lash, and with a feeling of
+resentment and a sense of personal injury that never fail to give
+me a sick headache, if I allow my thoughts to dwell upon him. That
+isn't love, Kathie."
+
+"No," gravely; but the voice was also very tender.
+
+"Everything is either 'for' or 'against' in Christian Science?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"There is, I see, no middle ground; so, if one cannot think
+compassionately, even tenderly, of one's enemy one is guilty of--
+hate?" said Miss Reynolds, with quivering lips and averted eyes.
+
+Again Katherine was silent; but her glance was very loving as it
+rested on her teacher's troubled face.
+
+"Tell me how to get rid of these feelings, Kathie," she resumed,
+after a moment, "for they make me wretched at times. I find myself
+mentally going over the same ground, again and again, holding
+imaginary conversations with the man who has wronged me, arguing
+the case and bringing up evidence, as if it were being tried
+before a judge and jury. How would you conquer it in Science?"
+
+"Every wrong thought we hold has to be reversed--"
+
+"Oh! do you mean I must declare that that man is not dishonest--
+that he has not wronged me? That I have not been injured and do
+not resent that injury?" interposed the woman, looking up with
+flashing eyes, a scarlet spot burning on either cheek. "Child, you
+don't know what I have suffered. My father took that man into his
+business and gave him a start when he had not a dollar in the
+world, and it was such base ingratitude to rob his family and let
+them sink into poverty. Ah! the bitter tears I have shed over it!"
+
+Then she suddenly relaxed and sank back in her chair with a
+deprecatory smile.
+
+"Kathie, you did not suspect your teacher of having such a
+seething volcano concealed in her breast, did you?" she observed,
+sadly.
+
+"What you have told me makes me think of a verse of 'The Mother's
+Evening Prayer,' in 'Miscellaneous Writings,'" [Footnote: By Mary
+Baker G. Eddy, page 389.] said Katherine, gently; and she repeated
+in a low tone:
+
+"Oh! make me glad for every scalding tear,  For hope deferred,
+ingratitude, disdain!
+ Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear
+  No ill, since God is good, and loss is gain."
+
+"Say that again please, clear," pleaded Miss Reynolds, with a
+sudden catch in her breath; and Katherine went through it the
+second time.
+
+"Ah! that shows how she has risen to the heights she has
+attained," said Miss Reynolds, in a reverent tone. "We are to be
+'glad' for whatever drives us closer to God, to 'wait' and 'love'
+through all."
+
+"And to know that every man is our brother--the perfect image and
+likeness of God, and we must not bind heavy burdens of sin and
+dishonesty upon him in resentful thought."
+
+"Yes, I see; we have to 'blot it all out,'" said Miss Reynolds,
+wearily. "I caught something of that in my study to-day and that
+was what sent me down into the valley, for it seemed such an
+impossible thing to do. You could see what a strong grip it had on
+me in rehearsing it to you."
+
+"All wrong thought brings the sting--the smart of the lash; but
+love--right thinking--brings the 'peace of God,'" said Katherine.
+
+"Ah! it is a case of 'as ye sow ye shall also reap,'" said Miss
+Reynolds, drawing a long breath. "But, Kathie, do you think it
+will be possible for me to so reverse my thought about that man
+that I can grow to love him?"
+
+"You do love him now; only error is trying to make you think that
+a dear brother is not worthy of your love," said the girl, softly.
+
+"Oh, Katherine! we have to come under the rod, don't we?" and her
+voice almost broke.
+
+"There is also the staff," was the low-voiced reply. "Truth, the
+rod, uncovers and smites the error; then Love, the staff, supports
+our faltering steps--'meets every human need.'" [Footnote:
+"Science and Health," page 494.]
+
+Silence fell between them, during which both were deeply absorbed
+in thought, while the fire gradually faded from the elder woman's
+eyes and the scarlet from her cheeks.
+
+At length she turned with an earnest look to her companion.
+
+"Kathie," she said, in a clear, resolute tone, "I have put my
+'hand to the plow,' and I am not going to 'look back.'"
+
+"Then everything will come right," said the girl, with a brilliant
+smile, as she bent forward and kissed her on the lips.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+A SOPHOMORE RACKET.
+
+
+Monday evening, after study hours were over, again found Katherine
+in her teacher's room, for now that the woman had begun to get an
+understanding of the spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures
+her desire to know more was insatiable; while our young Scientist
+was only too glad to lend her what help she could along the way.
+
+They went over the Sunday lesson together, and afterward fell to
+talking upon certain points that had especially attracted their
+attention, becoming so absorbed that they took no account of time
+until the clock struck the half hour after eleven.
+
+"Why!" Katherine exclaimed, and starting to her feet, "if you were
+not a teacher I should be guilty of flagrant disobedience in being
+out of my room at this hour."
+
+"Dear child, I have been very thoughtless to keep you so long,"
+said Miss Reynolds, regretfully, "but I certainly had no idea of
+time. And what is time, anyway? I begin to realize that it is only
+a mortal invention, and that we are living in eternity now. But I
+must not begin on this infinite subject again to-night; go! go!"
+She laughingly waved the girl away, and she slipped noiselessly
+out into the hall to seek her own room.
+
+Miss Reynolds was located on the second floor of the east wing,
+and Katherine roomed in the west wing, consequently she was
+obliged to go down a flight of stairs, cross the main or central
+hall, and up another flight to gain her own quarters.
+
+The lights were all out, but the moon was full, coming in through
+the windows with a soft radiance, and thus she had no difficulty
+in finding her way.
+
+She had crossed the main hall, and just entered a short passage
+leading to the west wing, when she came suddenly upon some one,
+who appeared to be trying to shrink out of sight into a corner.
+
+"Why, who is it?" she cried, in a repressed but startled tone.
+
+"Sh! sh! keep mum!" was the warning response as the figure drew
+near her.
+
+"Jennie!" Katherine whispered, amazed, "what are you doing here at
+this unearthly hour of the night?"
+
+"Hush! don't give me away for the world," said the girl, laying a
+nervous hand upon her arm. "There's something going on in yonder--
+it's the fun I told you about a while ago. I'm not in the plot,
+but I'm bound to be in at the finish, for it's going to be a hot
+time, I can tell you."
+
+"Really, dear, you are better out of it altogether," Katherine
+gravely returned. "You know what we were talking of yesterday,
+about breaking rules and spoiling one's record."
+
+"Aren't you breaking rules, too?" retorted Jennie, aggressively.
+
+"No; I have just come from Miss Reynolds' room."
+
+"Well, I'm going to see this through, now I've started in. I've
+had to pinch and pound myself for the last two hours, though, to
+keep awake, and I'm not going to miss the 'racket' after all that
+bother," declared the girl, clinging tenaciously to her purpose.
+
+"Hark!" she added, a moment later, in a startled whisper, as a
+titter of irrepressible mirth was borne to their ears from
+somewhere beyond them.
+
+It seemed to proceed from the landing at the head of the stairs
+which led to the second story, but was quickly suppressed and all
+was still again.
+
+"Well," said Katharine, after listening a. moment, "I must go on
+to my room, and my advice to you, Jennie, is to return at once to
+yours. Good-night," and, leaving the willful "racket"-lover to her
+fate, she stole softly away.
+
+She paused at the foot of the stairs to listen again, when the
+swish of garments fell on her ear, then a voice, which she
+immediately recognized, whispered:
+
+"Be sure you tie your end tight, Carrie."
+
+Katherine moved lightly up a step or two and heard the answer:
+
+"I have; now, Rose, scud up to the next floor and give the signal,
+while I go for my cymbals," and a smothered laugh followed.
+
+Again there was a rustle of garments and the soft slipping of
+unshod feet over the upper flight of stairs, while Katherine as
+noiselessly sped over the lower one.
+
+On reaching the landing she looked about her to ascertain, if
+possible, what mischief was brewing.
+
+The hall was very dimly lighted by a window at each end, and, as
+the moon had not yet got around to that quarter, it was almost
+impossible to discern anything; but, lower down the hall, she
+thought she could detect two lines, stretched across from opposite
+doors, about three feet from the floor.
+
+Not wishing to get involved in the prospective mischief, and as
+her room was just at the head of the stairs, she softly turned the
+handle of the door and slipped inside.
+
+Scarcely a minute elapsed after she had closed and locked it, when
+there came a deafening crash and bang, mingled with the blowing of
+whistles, horns and combs, that seemed sufficient to awaken the
+"Seven Sleepers" in their cavern of refuge.
+
+"Oh, heavens! Whatever is the matter?" screamed Sadie, starting up
+in affright. "Are you there, Katharine?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What was that noise? Did you hear it?"
+
+"Indeed I did."
+
+They listened for a moment or two, but there was no sound.
+
+Then it seemed as if some commotion had arisen somewhere, and a
+medley of muffled voices was borne to their ears.
+
+Presently steps were heard on the stairs, whereupon Sadie sprang
+out of bed, slipped on a wrapper, and, opening her door a crack,
+saw the watchman with his lantern just mounting into view.
+
+Then the voice of one of the teachers--Miss Clark--rang out
+excitedly, while she vainly tugged at her door which had been
+connected with the one opposite by a piece of clothesline:
+
+"Young ladies, what is the meaning of this outrage? Release me
+immediately."
+
+"Ye'll just hev to wait a minute, marm," said the watchman, with
+an audible chuckle of amusement as he comprehended the situation,
+while he put down his lantern and plunged his hand into various
+pockets in search of his knife.
+
+Looking farther down the hall, Sadie saw that Miss Williams had
+been imprisoned in the same manner, while a promiscuous assortment
+of tin pans, covers and plates lay in a heap upon the floor, and
+telling their own story regarding the recent crash.
+
+There was not a person, save the watchman, in sight.
+
+But, presently, doors were cautiously opened and tousled heads
+appeared in the apertures, while timid voices made inquiries as to
+what had happened.
+
+The watchman--who had been making his rounds, as was his custom at
+midnight, hence his timely appearance upon the scene--soon had the
+indignant teachers released, and then went on to the next floor,
+where similar conditions prevailed.
+
+On being given their liberty, Miss Clark and Miss Williams
+immediately bestirred themselves to ferret out the culprits; but,
+of course, everybody was innocent and as eager as themselves to
+ascertain "who could have been guilty of so daring an escapade at
+that hour of the night."
+
+Poor Jennie, however, was destined to pay the penalty of her
+temerity.
+
+A moment or two after Katherine left her, she had also stolen
+cautiously up the stairs, but on moving farther down the hall had
+run against one of the ropes.
+
+Like a flash she comprehended something of the nature of the joke,
+and, hearing steps and smothered laughter above, turned back and
+slipped into a closet at the end of the hall, where she shrank
+into a corner and waited with eager ears and bated breath for the
+denouement.
+
+When it came, however, she heartily wished she was anywhere else
+in the world; but there was nothing for her to do except to wait
+quietly in her place of concealment until the breeze blew over,
+when she hoped she could steal away, unobserved, to her room. If
+the watchman had not appeared upon the scene so opportunely, she
+would have made a break immediately after the crash; but, hearing
+his steps, she knew that her escape was cut off in that direction.
+She could not even mingle with the other girls, when they began to
+gather in the halls to "help investigate," and so find protection
+in numbers; for she belonged in the other wing, and her presence
+in the west wing would at once warrant the worst possible
+construction being put upon her appearance there.
+
+So she shrank closer into her corner and stood motionless, hoping
+no one would think of looking there.
+
+Vain hope, however, for Miss Williams, having closely questioned
+various ones without gaining any satisfaction, walked straight to
+the closet and opened the door, when the light from her candle
+flared directly upon Jennie's white, frightened face and shrinking
+figure.
+
+"Ah! Miss Wild! so you are implicated in this disgraceful
+escapade!" the teacher sternly exclaimed, as she laid a forcible
+hand upon her arm and drew her from her hiding place. "What was
+your object and who were your accomplices? for, of course, you
+could not have carried it out alone," she concluded, sharply.
+
+Miss Clark now joined them, while many of the students gathered
+around and regarded Jennie with blank and wondering faces.
+
+"I---I don't know-there wasn't--er--anybody," stammered Jennie,
+too confused and overcome with fright to speak connectedly.
+
+"Don't tell me that! It is impossible that you could conceive such
+a plot and execute it without help, and I am going to sift it to
+the bottom," was Miss Williams' sharp retort; for she by no means
+relished being aroused at midnight by such a frightful bedlam, to
+find herself a prisoner in her room.
+
+"Truly, Miss Williams, I wasn't in it at all," Jennie affirmed,
+with more coherence, and lifting an appealing look to the incensed
+woman.
+
+"Miss Wild, don't add falsehood to your other offenses. What were
+you hiding here for, if you had nothing to do with it? But"--
+suddenly cutting herself short--"I think we will defer further
+investigation until to-morrow. Go to your room at once, and remain
+there until I come to you in the morning. Young ladies, retire--
+all of you--and those who, in any way, have participated in this
+affair, prepare to make open confession, for I assure you it will
+not be dropped until you do."
+
+She waved them imperatively away, and they immediately vanished
+with cheerful alacrity from her austere presence, while Jennie
+also sped away without one backward glance.
+
+Miss Williams then turned to the watchman and observed more
+calmly:
+
+"Mr. Johnson, it seems we were all more frightened than hurt. My
+first impression was that there had been a terrific explosion, and
+the sensation of being fastened in one's room at such a time isn't
+at all agreeable. I am glad you were at hand to help and reassure
+us."
+
+"Ye were in rather a ticklish box, mum; fur, by the powers! 'twur
+like a pan-dom-i-num let loose," replied the man, stooping to
+recover his lantern and to conceal a broad grin of appreciation,
+for it was well known he enjoyed a joke as well as anyone, even to
+the point of sometimes abetting the perpetrators. "But what'll we
+do wid all the truck?" he added, glancing at the pile of tinware
+on the floor.
+
+"Oh, leave it where it is until morning, and the maids will take
+care of it," Miss Clark suggested; and then the teachers also
+repaired to their rooms, the watchman went his way, his broad
+shoulders shaking with silent laughter, and quiet settled down
+once more upon Hilton's ruffled west wing.
+
+Katherine had remained in the background throughout the entire
+disturbance, quietly disrobing and getting ready for bed.
+
+Sadie had been so frightened by the startling noises outside, she
+did not observe--the room being dark--or dream that her roommate
+was still up and dressed. She supposed that she had come in while
+she was sleeping and retired without waking her; thus Katherine
+escaped being questioned or obliged to make any explanations.
+
+But she lay awake some time after the house had settled into
+stillness, trying to decide what steps she ought to take, knowing
+what she did about the matter.
+
+She knew it would not be right to allow Jennie to suffer for what
+she was in no way responsible, even though she had broken rules in
+being out of her room at so late an hour. But what her duty was
+regarding reporting the leaders in the "racket," if they
+obstinately refrained from confessing their offense, she could not
+readily determine. She finally resolved that she would do her
+utmost to exonerate Jennie without incriminating anyone else, if
+possible.
+
+She arose with the first stroke of the rising bell, performed her
+usual duties with what dispatch she could, and then sought Miss
+Williams shortly before the breakfast hour.
+
+The teacher greeted her cordially, and inquired with a significant
+smile:
+
+"Were you frightened nearly out of your senses, with the rest of
+us last night, Miss Minturn?"
+
+"Oh, no; but perhaps I might have been if I had been asleep. I
+know something about the affair, Miss Williams, and I have come to
+talk it over with you," Katherine explained.
+
+"Ah!" and the woman looked both astonished and interested.
+
+"Jennie Wild told you the truth last night," she went on. "She had
+nothing whatever to do with the 'racket,' even though appearances
+point strongly the other way."
+
+She then proceeded to tell all that she knew about the matter, but
+without revealing the names of the ringleaders.
+
+"Well, this certainly does put an entirely different aspect upon
+the affair," Miss Williams observed, when she concluded. "I am
+more than glad, too, because my sympathies are with Miss Wild, in
+spite of her tendency to bubble over now and then. Circumstantial
+evidence is not always true evidence, is it?" she added, with a
+smile. "I was highly indignant with her last night, for I felt
+sure she was prominent in it--and she certainly was guilty of
+disobedience."
+
+"Yes; her curiosity surely got the better of her judgment,"
+Katherine assented.
+
+"Well, could you identify those girls, whom you overheard in the
+hall?" Miss Williams now inquired.
+
+Katherine flushed. She had been dreading this question.
+
+"I did not see anyone," she returned with a faint smile, after a
+moment of hesitation.
+
+"I see, my dear; you do not wish to 'tell tales,' and I appreciate
+your position," said her companion, with a wise nod that had
+nothing of disapproval in it. "Well"--after considering a moment--
+"we will say no more about it until Prof. Seabrook has been
+consulted. Jennie, however, will have reason to be grateful to you
+for helping her out of what, otherwise, might have proved a very
+awkward situation."
+
+Miss Williams went at once to the girl and released her from the
+confinement she had imposed upon her the previous night. She
+explained how Miss Minturn had come to her rescue, and Jennie, who
+had for once been thoroughly frightened, vowed she would "never be
+caught in a scrape of any kind" during the remainder of her
+course.
+
+Considerable excitement prevailed during the day, and the
+"midnight escapade" was the one topic of conversation whenever a
+group of girls came together; but it was not until study hours
+were over in the afternoon that any active measures to
+"investigate" the matter were instituted. Then Katherine was
+summoned to the principal's study, where she found the four
+teachers who had the west wing in charge, and Jennie, assembled.
+
+Jennie was rigorously catechised, but had very little to tell. She
+had overheard something of a plot that promised considerable
+excitement and fun; she had also heard some one whisper, "Monday,
+at midnight," and her curiosity had been raised to the highest
+pitch, therefore she had been unable to resist being "in at the
+finish." She could not tell who were the leaders, for she had
+neither seen nor heard anyone, having slipped into the closet
+before the crash came. Being hard pressed, however, she admitted
+that she thought the sophomores were chiefly concerned in the
+"racket."
+
+Katherine was then requested to relate all that she knew about it,
+whereupon she repeated what she had already told Miss Williams.
+
+"You have corroborated what Miss Wild has stated, and have also
+exonerated her from any complicity in the affair," Prof. Seabrook
+observed, when she concluded. "I judge that it must have been
+confined entirely to the sophomore class. Now we must get down to
+individuals, if possible. Miss Minturn, did you recognize the
+voices of those two girls whom you overheard in the hall last
+night?"
+
+"Truth compels me to say that I did," Katherine replied, a hot
+flush mounting to her brow.
+
+"Their names, if you please," commanded the principal, briefly.
+
+"I beg that you will excuse me from naming them," she pleaded.
+
+"It is plainly your duty to expose them, Miss Minturn. The affair
+is of too serious a nature to allow sentiment to thwart discipline
+and the preservation of law and order," returned the gentleman, in
+an inflexible tone.
+
+"Pardon me," she said, "but I cannot feel it my duty--at least
+until--"
+
+"That is equivalent to saying that you will not comply with my
+request," interposed the professor, his eyes beginning to blaze in
+view of what he regarded as a defiant attitude.
+
+"No, sir; I could not be so disrespectful," Katherine gently
+replied. "Please allow me to say that I would have taken no action
+whatever in the matter but for the sake of saving Miss Wild from
+being unjustly accused."
+
+Jennie flashed her an adoring look as she said this.
+
+"I just wanted to hug you!" she told her afterwards.
+
+"Miss Wild is no doubt properly grateful; all the same you have no
+right to shield the guilty ones, and I shall hold you to your
+duty," inflexibly responded Prof. Seabrook.
+
+Katherine saw that he was determined to make her name the
+culprits, and, for a moment, she was deeply distressed. Then her
+face suddenly cleared.
+
+"May I suggest that it is the duty of the offenders to confess
+their own wrongdoing?" she questioned, in a respectful tone;
+adding: "It certainly is their right to have the opportunity given
+them, and I would prefer not to rob them of it; while it would
+release me from a very awkward position if they would do so."
+
+"I think Miss Minturn is right, Prof. Seabrook," Miss Williams
+here remarked. "I am sure we can all understand how she feels
+about it, and we know that it would place her under the ban of the
+whole school if she were to expose the ringleaders without giving
+them the opportunity, as she says, to volunteer a confession."
+
+Katherine shot a look of gratitude at the speaker, who nodded her
+sympathy in return.
+
+An uncomfortable silence followed, during which the much-tried
+girl felt that her principal regarded her as obstinate as well as
+sentimental, and was more than half inclined not to yield his
+point, in spite of Miss Williams' espousal of her cause.
+
+"Very well; let it rest here for the present," he at length curtly
+observed. "You are temporarily excused, Miss Minturn. But if the
+offenders do not promptly come forward, I shall expect you to tell
+all you know, later."
+
+Katherine bowed and slipped quietly from the room, but with a
+choking sensation in her throat, a feeling of injustice pressing
+heavily upon her heart.
+
+She paused in the hall a moment, after closing the door, trying to
+calm her perturbed thoughts, when these words from her dear
+"little book" came to her:
+
+"Let Truth uncover and destroy error in God's own way, and let
+human justice wait on the divine." [Footnote: "Science and
+Health," page 542.]
+
+Then she went on her way, at peace with herself and all the world.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+"HILTON VOLUNTEERS."
+
+
+After Katherine was dismissed, Jennie was sternly reprimanded for
+her infraction of rules, cautioned against future disobedience, a
+penalty imposed upon her, and then told she might go back to her
+duties.
+
+She moved slowly to the door, stood there a moment irresolute, a
+thoughtful look on her young face; then deliberately turned and
+walked straight back to her principal.
+
+"Prof. Seabrook," she began, "I have another confession to make to
+you, and I'm willing to take any punishment you may think I
+deserve. I do this because I want you to know the kind of girl
+Miss Minturn is, for--I think you do not half appreciate her. I've
+loved her from the first minute I saw her in this room with you,
+the day she came; she makes everybody love her, and I've often
+wondered if it is her Christian Science that helps her to be so--
+so dear and true. I've tried to make her tell me something about
+it, but she wouldn't--she always says you told her not to talk
+about it to the students. I asked her last week to let me go with
+her to her service on Sunday. But she said no, unless I would get
+permission from you. But--I did go," Jennie continued, growing
+scarlet to her brows, yet looking the man unflinchingly in the
+eyes. "I started out early and was there when she came into the
+hall, and walked home with her afterwards. She didn't spare me;
+she told me I had done wrong and read me a lecture about spoiling
+my record by breaking rules. I want you to know this, because some
+one may have seen us come out of the Christian Science hall
+together and might think she took me there; but she never breaks a
+rule, and she isn't a bit priggish about it, either. She tried her
+best to make me go back to my room before the 'racket' last night,
+and I just want you to know that she's true blue, through and
+through."
+
+Jennie looked very spirited and pretty with her flushed cheeks and
+glowing eyes as she faced her principal, and, without flinching a
+hair, told her simple, straightforward story in the presence of
+the other teachers.
+
+Prof. Seabrook was fond of the girl, for she possessed many
+lovable qualities and was very faithful in the performance of her
+duties. If he had been inclined to be severe, because of her other
+offense, his heart was very tender towards her now; for he fully
+appreciated her honesty and the moral courage she had manifested
+in taking this stand for Katherine.
+
+He was uncomfortably conscious, too, that his own attitude towards
+Miss Minturn had not been quite considerate. He recognized her
+loveliness of character, her excellence in scholarship, her
+conscientious deportment; in fact, he had no fault whatever to
+find with her, except that she was a Christian Scientist, and the
+remembrance of this always stirred him, in the most unaccountable
+manner, whenever he came in contact with her.
+
+He regarded Jennie thoughtfully for a moment after she concluded,
+then a gleam of amusement crept into his eyes and his lips
+twitched with repressed mirth, as he dryly observed:
+
+"Well, Jennie, it seems that you are making quite a record for
+yourself by breaking rules. I hope there will be no occasion for
+further self-condemnation after this. You may go now."
+
+The girl was glad to go, and was "scared stiff," as she affirmed
+afterward, when she came to think over what she had said. But her
+desire to have justice done Katherine had made her forget herself,
+for the time, in defending her.
+
+Still, as was characteristic, her spirits quickly rebounded, and
+she flew away to find some of the sophs and reel off a graphic
+report of what had just occurred in the principal's study.
+
+Consternation at once took possession of some of their number, for
+it was evident that, even though Prof. Seabrook and the teachers
+were ignorant of the names of the guilty ones, Miss Minturn had
+recognized the ringleaders, and so their supposed secret was out.
+
+A private meeting of all concerned was immediately called, and the
+matter thoroughly discussed.
+
+"So Miss Minturn claims it would 'rob us of our moral
+responsibility' if she should give us away!" remarked Rose Tuttle,
+a buxom girl of eighteen, with a roguish face and an independent
+air. "That's a novel way of looking at it--isn't it, girls?--and
+escaping the fate of a 'telltale,'" and the ringing laugh which
+completed these remarks was echoed by several others.
+
+"Puts us in a tight box, though," said Carrie Archer, another
+merry sprite, as she gnawed the rubber on her pencil with a
+thoughtful air.
+
+"All the same, I think Katherine Minturn is O. K., and I'm ready
+to make my best courtesy to her," gravely observed a girl who was
+sitting beside her.
+
+"Well, I begin to think she is rather fine myself, in spite of her
+absurd Christian Science. But what are we going to do about this
+affair?" inquired Miss Tuttle, with an impatient shrug of her
+plump shoulders.
+
+"Oh, let's fight it out," cried a shrill voice from a corner.
+
+"That means let Miss Minturn fight it out," retorted Carrie
+Archer, spiritedly.
+
+"Well, she's game--she won't tell, and it will all die out of
+itself, after a while."
+
+"But that would leave a very uncomfortable sting behind--the sting
+of cowardice," said Rose Tuttle, with very red cheeks. "I tell you
+what, my dear fellow sophs," she went on, after an irresolute
+pause, "if Miss Minturn had given us away to-day every mother's
+daughter of us would have called her a 'spy' and a 'tattler.' But,
+although she knows exactly as well as you and I do"--a chuckle of
+mirth escaping her--"who tied those ropes to the doors, she has
+just faced the professor and those teachers and practically told
+them that she would not give us away."
+
+"Why couldn't she have held her tongue altogether, then?" grumbled
+a discontented voice.
+
+"Good gracious, Nell! knowing what she did she couldn't keep mum
+and let 'Wild Jen'--poor goosie! whose curiosity is always getting
+her into some scrape or other--bear the whole brunt of it," Miss
+Archer replied, with curling lips. "No, she has put us upon our
+honor, and if we don't do the square thing I think she'll have a
+right to call us--sneaks."
+
+"Carrie, you're hitting out pretty straight from the shoulder,"
+cried her friend Rose, with a short laugh.
+
+"Well, maybe; but I didn't miss myself in the trial of my muscle,"
+was the dry rejoinder.
+
+There was much more talk after the same order, the ayes and nays
+on the question of "open confession" being about equally divided;
+while all began to feel that there wasn't quite as much fun as
+they had anticipated to be gotten out of midnight escapades.
+
+"Well, sophies, I'll tell you what I'm going to do," finally said
+Miss Archer, breaking in upon the hubbub of voices, a look of
+determination settling over her face, "but first I'll say what I'm
+not going to do: I'm never going to hear it said that I forced
+somebody else to stand in a gap that I hadn't the courage to fill.
+I'm not going to sneak out of sight behind another to save myself.
+I started this ball rolling and planned the details of the affair,
+and, now, I am going straight to Prof. Seabrook and tell him so
+and swallow the bitter pill he gives me with what grace I can. It
+won't be sugar-coated, either. I won't give anyone else away, so
+don't be afraid," she interposed in response to terrified
+exclamations and frightened faces. "I'll just do the square thing
+myself, and you know it is always the commanding officer who is
+held responsible for leading his subordinates astray."
+
+Miss Archer was the daughter of an ex-colonel, which will account
+for her simile.
+
+There was dead silence for a full minute after she ceased
+speaking, and the faces in that quiet room would have been an
+interesting study for a physiognomist.
+
+Then Rose Tuttle sprang to her feet and held out her hand to her
+friend.
+
+"I wonder who is 'game' now?" she cried, in a ringing voice.
+
+Miss Archer's eyes flashed with sudden inspiration.
+
+"Here! give me a pencil, somebody; I've broken the point off
+mine," she said, as she moved her chair to a table and drew a
+blank sheet of paper towards her.
+
+Half a dozen were handed her, and, selecting one, she continued:
+
+"This is going to be a voluntary surrender. I'm not going to wait
+to be summoned before my superior officer and 'given an
+opportunity.'"
+
+She wrote rapidly for a few minutes, while her companions regarded
+her in curious silence.
+
+"Hear now," she finally commanded, as she threw down her pencil,
+and, lifting her paper with an impressive flourish, read:
+
+"TO THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AT HILTON: News of certain matters,
+pending at headquarters, just received by scout. Wherefore this is
+to certify that the undersigned planned and led the attack on West
+Wing on the night of May the twentieth. In view of the demands of
+honor, of admiration for, and the sentence menacing the valiant
+party at present held as hostage, I hereby make confession, and
+unconditional surrender, together with all munitions of war, and
+also herewith beg absolution for subordinates.
+
+"Signed. CAROLINE WEBSTER ARCHER, "Capt. Co. S, Hilton Volunteers,
+U. S. A."
+
+"How will that do, my brave company of sophomores?" she cried,
+with laughing eyes, as she finished reading her effusion. "I'm
+afraid it isn't quite up to the mark in military technicalities,
+but, perhaps, it will answer our purpose."
+
+"It isn't going to do at all, Carolina MIA," returned Rose Tuttle,
+with an emphatic nod of her head. "If you assume that you were the
+captain in the fracas, I certainly was first lieutenant, and I'm
+going to stand by the cap. until the last gun is fired. Give, me
+that paper."
+
+It was passed to her, and in a clear, bold hand she wrote:
+
+"The captain cannot be allowed to go to the front alone.
+
+"Signed. ROSE ASHLEY TUTTLE,  First Lieutenant Co. S, H. V., U. S.
+A."
+
+There were grave faces all about her as she read what she had
+written and then pushed the paper from her.
+
+Presently a voice remarked:
+
+"Girls, good soldiers always follow their leader." Then another
+figure glided to the table and a third signature was appended to
+the document.
+
+It was the "bugle call" that fired them all, and in less time than
+it takes to record it, the name of every other girl in the room
+was signed underneath, then inclosed in a bracket and the name
+"Private Co. S, H. V., U. S. A." written outside of it, after
+which the paper was passed back to Miss Archer.
+
+"Company S, I'm proud of you!" she exclaimed, with crimson cheeks
+and something very like tears in her eyes.
+
+"I--I hope the professor won't think it is too--too flippant,"
+some one suggested, in a doubtful tone.
+
+"Do you suppose he will, Carrie?" queried Rose, turning to her
+friend in sudden consternation.
+
+Miss Archer flushed hotly.
+
+"I--don't--know," she said, with a thoughtful pause between each
+word. "I am sure I did not mean it to sound so. The idea came to
+me to put it that way when I spoke of the 'commanding officer
+being held responsible.' I'll tear it up, if you say so, and go
+and tell him the whole story instead." And she held it up between
+the thumb and forefinger of both hands as if to suit the act to
+her words.
+
+"No! no!" "Send it as it is!" "It's all right!" "He'll
+understand!" cried several voices; though one weak sister
+murmured, with a plaintive sigh: "I'll be glad when it's all
+over."
+
+"This having to face a 'court-martial' was overlooked in planning
+the campaign, hey?" observed another, with a grimace.
+
+"I don't care! It was fun to hear those teachers tugging at their
+doors for dear life, and I have it from an eyewitness, when
+Johnson cut Miss Craigis loose she keeled over in the most
+undignified manner!" laughed a pert young miss, who was one of the
+giddiest in the class. "And, oh!" she went on, breathlessly, "did
+you see poor old Webb on the upper floor? It was perfectly
+killing! She had on that startling palm-leaf kimono--her false
+front had slipped down over one ear; she had her precious
+herbarium under one arm, her bird cage in one hand, and a huge
+hatbox in the other. She was frightened nearly out of her senses,
+and demanded, right and left, 'Young ladies, where is the fire?
+oh, where is the fire?'"
+
+A merry shout greeted this graphic description, and it is to be
+feared that some of the delinquents were not as deeply impressed
+with the enormity of their recent insubordination as could have
+been desired.
+
+"Sh! sh! do hush, girls!" cried Miss Archer, waving her paper to
+enjoin silence, "This will have to be nicely copied in ink, and
+you'll all have to sign it again. And let me warn you," she added,
+soberly, "you'd better keep pretty mum about last night, or we
+will get a bigger pill than will be comfortable to swallow."
+
+She seated herself at the table again and made a neat copy of her
+document, after which the signatures were carefully appended, then
+the meeting was dismissed, and the "captain" of the disorderly
+sophomores went directly to Prof. Seabrook's study.
+
+It was very nearly supper time, and she had reasoned that he would
+issue an order, at the table, for the class to meet him in one of
+the recitation rooms, in the near future, to give the guilty ones
+an opportunity for confession; and her plan was to forestall this
+summons with the paper she had prepared.
+
+When, in response to her knock, he bade her "come in," it must be
+confessed that she opened the door with fear and trembling; while
+something in her bearing and the tense lines of her face at once
+aroused a suspicion of the nature of her errand in the principal's
+mind.
+
+"Prof. Seabrook, I have been commissioned to hand you this
+communication," she gravely said, as she laid, it on the table
+before him.
+
+"Ah! by whom were you 'commissioned,' Miss Archer?" he inquired,
+his keen eyes searching her flushed face.
+
+"By--by the parties whose names you will find signed to it."
+
+"And what is the nature of the communication?"
+
+"I--er--it will explain itself," replied the trembling emissary,
+blushing furiously and averting her eyes.
+
+"Very well; I will give it my earliest attention," the professor
+returned, but eying the missive curiously.
+
+"Thank you, sir," and, with a nervous bow, entirely at variance
+with her habitual sang-froid, the girl hurried from the room, her
+bounding heart causing her to pant as if she had been running a
+race.
+
+Prof. Seabrook waited until the door closed after her, then
+unfolded the paper and began to read. But his face grew stern and
+his brow heavily overcast as his glance hastily swept the page.
+
+After reading it through and noting every signature, he began it
+again, perusing it more carefully, and, gradually, a gleam of
+amusement crept into his eyes; his stern features relaxed, and the
+corners of his mouth twitched suggestively.
+
+"The little mischief is game," he at length observed, "and this
+document is a very clever stroke of business; though at first it
+sounded rather pert, as if she were bound to make a joke of the
+affair. But there is a straightforwardness and an appreciation of
+Miss Minturn's position in it that rings true. Really, I begin to
+think that girl is a power for good in the school, in spite of her
+fanaticism and heresy. Hum!"--reading aloud--"'news of matters
+pending at headquarters'--it traveled pretty fast; who was the
+'scout,' I wonder? Ah! Jennie, of course; the little gossip! Well,
+Miss Archer, you didn't waste any time before dispatching your
+flag of truce, and you have rather a fine sense of honor
+underneath your lawlessness, after all. So you are 'captain' of
+your company of sophomores! I think we will rob you of your
+commission and see how you will stand the discipline. 'Co. S,
+Hilton Volunteers!' pretty good--pretty good!" and a light laugh
+rippled over the man's lips. "And Miss Tuttle is 'first
+lieutenant,'" he continued, "and gallantly came forward to share
+the self-imposed mission of her friend 'to go to the front.'
+There's pluck there, too; but you are a precocious pair--you two--
+and keep one busy guessing what you will do next. All the same,
+with the right check-rein, I believe you'll both make fine women,
+and--the school would surely lose some of its spice without you."
+
+He carefully refolded the quaint document, locking it in a drawer
+of his desk, and the next moment the supper bell rang.
+
+A meeting of the faculty was called for that evening, when the
+communication from the mischief-makers was read and discussed;
+and, in spite of their lawlessness, which demanded the imposition
+of a penalty severe enough to insure immunity from future
+ebullitions of the same nature, the originality and spirit
+pervading it were thoroughly appreciated by all.
+
+The following day, at dinner, Prof. Seabrook gravely announced
+that he would meet the sophomore class at four-thirty, that
+afternoon, in the "north recitation room," and every member was
+ordered to be present.
+
+There were some quaking hearts during the intervening hours, and
+there were not a few anxious faces among the thirty-six sophomores
+gathered in the appointed place, when the principal appeared upon
+the scene and at once proceeded to business.
+
+"Young ladies," he began, "I have summoned the entire class here
+in order that those who are innocent of wrong may know that they
+are no longer under the ban of suspicion, in connection with the
+disgraceful escapade of Monday night; and, also, that those who
+were guilty of complicity in it may acknowledge their offense in
+their presence. Those of you who have made confession to that
+effect may rise."
+
+Fourteen of the class arose and stood with downcast faces,
+awaiting what was to follow.
+
+"Were there any other accomplices in the affair?" inquired the
+principal, glancing around upon those who had remained seated.
+
+No one responded or moved, and he then proceeded to arraign the
+offenders in no light terms, and not one ever forgot the scathing
+words that fell from his lips or the shame which followed his
+vivid portrayal of their hoidenish behavior.
+
+"And now," he said in conclusion, "for two weeks you will forfeit
+your afternoon recreation hour, and pass it in this room with your
+books, and with a monitor to preserve order. Miss Archer and Miss
+Tuttle, who acknowledge having been the ringleaders, will be on
+probation for the remainder of the year, and any further
+infringement of rules will be followed by summary expulsion. I
+will add"--and the professor's stern face relaxed visibly--"that
+you all have saved yourselves much by your voluntary confession;
+but the 'Hilton Volunteers' are here and now disbanded for all
+time. Young ladies, you are dismissed."
+
+Well, it was over, and heavy hearts grew lighter, though there
+were some who were inclined to grumble over the severity of the
+penalty.
+
+Carrie Archer and Rose Tuttle made no talk whatever about the
+matter. Both felt that they had had a narrow escape, and were
+thankful, even under the sentence of "probation."
+
+Of course, the whole affair was aired and freely discussed by the
+entire school, and thus Katherine became somewhat conspicuous
+because of her forced participation in it; while it was
+interesting to observe how radically the attitude of almost
+everyone changed towards her, the sophomores, particularly,
+manifesting the greatest admiration for her.
+
+Miss Archer and Miss Tuttle were the first to express their
+appreciation of the stand she had taken in their behalf, and her
+sweet reception of their overtures made them her stanch friends
+for all time.
+
+"I'll never sneer at Christian Scientists again," Rose afterwards
+confided to her friend, "for if they are all as lovely and plucky
+as she has shown herself, we can't have too many of them in the
+world."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+A JUNIOR ENTERTAINMENT.
+
+
+The school year was fast drawing to a close, and every student was
+busy preparing for examinations and annual exercises, and also
+looking forward to the pleasurable excitement attending class-day
+ceremonies, entertainments, receptions, etc.
+
+The first week in June it was customary for the juniors to give a
+special exhibition, to be followed by a social, with dancing and a
+fine spread, in honor of the retiring seniors, and upon this grand
+occasion each student in both classes was privileged to invite
+some friend from outside.
+
+So much had been said in praise of Katherine's little play and
+paper on "Transcendentalism," it was suggested they be repeated
+for the benefit of those who had not heard them, and allow
+visitors and strangers to guess the conundrum and charade.
+
+The whole school had heard the story of that Junior League
+meeting, for it had been too good to keep, and it had aroused so
+much interest, both among teachers and students, the juniors
+finally persuaded Katherine to reproduce her clever effort.
+
+Besides this, the programme consisted of another original play,
+written by some of the class, two or three choice selections from
+the Glee Club, and was to wind up with some fine tableaux.
+
+The important day arrived and was attended by no end of worry,
+work and excitement. The final rehearsal of the play proved, as is
+often the case, anything but satisfactory; but when it came to the
+"last tug of war" in the evening, everything "went off without a
+hitch," only those behind the scenes being aware of the strenuous
+efforts put forth to achieve this result.
+
+It was accordingly pronounced "a great success." Katherine's
+production contributed the element of comedy, while the vocabulary
+of adjectives was insufficient to express appreciation of the
+tableaux.
+
+The last one, or "grand finale," is worthy of special mention, for
+various reasons. It was billed as "The Carnival of Flowers," and
+included all the members of the junior class. Each was in evening
+dress and was either profusely decorated with, or carried, an
+elaborate design of the flower which she had chosen to represent.
+
+Dorothy, who had been unusually comfortable during the two weeks
+preceding, had been deeply interested in the preparations for this
+great event, and, one day, when Katherine was consulting Mrs.
+Seabrook upon some important point, she had exclaimed, with a
+longdrawn sigh:
+
+"Oh! how I wish I could be in it, too."
+
+"I wish you could, dear," said Katherine, bending to kiss the
+wistful face. "Well--why can't she?" she added, turning suddenly
+to Mrs. Seabrook; "she could have a place in the Carnival of
+Flowers. Will you allow her to?"
+
+Mrs. Seabrook smiled, but there was a sad yearning in her soft
+eyes as they rested upon her helpless child.
+
+"I hardly think it would do. I am afraid it could not be
+arranged," she doubtfully replied.
+
+"Indeed it could, and very easily. I have a lovely idea!" said
+Katherine, eagerly. "Let her take the Calla Lily--no one has
+chosen that because the flowers are too stiff to trim a dress
+gracefully. But Dorothy's chair could be transformed into a
+chariot of lilies, and I am sure they could be so arranged about
+her that she would look like a fairy in the midst of them. If you
+are willing I will talk it over with the girls. We will manage
+everything, so that she will not be wearied with any of the
+preparations, and I will take charge of her while she is on the
+stage. I know that she would have a beautiful time."
+
+"Oh, mamma, if I only might!" breathed Dorothy, rapturously, and
+carried away by the attractive prospect.
+
+"Well, we will talk it over with papa; if he consents I will not
+say no, and certainly Miss Minturn's suggestion is very alluring,"
+replied her mother, as she bestowed a grateful smile on Katherine.
+
+Prof. Seabrook could see no objection to the plan, and as
+everybody was always glad to contribute to the enjoyment of the
+sick girl, the idea was eagerly adopted, and Miss Dorothy was at
+once chosen to be the central figure in the tableau.
+
+It proved to be a most effective one, with the bevy of gorgeously
+garlanded maidens artistically grouped around their lily queen,
+who entered heartily into the spirit of the scene.
+
+The child's chair had indeed been transformed! No one would have
+recognized it, covered as it was with a wealth of pure white
+blossoms and dark-green leaves, for it looked more like the throne
+of a fairy than like anything so ordinary and unpretentious. Mrs.
+Seabrook, who possessed exquisite taste, had so massed the
+blossoms around her and daintily perched an inverted one on her
+head that the effect was exceedingly beautiful and picturesque.
+Katherine, who had chosen to be "Lady Poppea," made a brilliant
+foil, on one side, with her garlands and basket of vivid scarlet
+poppies; while another junior, bedecked with fuchsias, stood on
+the opposite side and held an umbrella, made of and fringed with
+the same flowers, protectingly over her; and with a score or more
+others forming a variegated background, the scene was brilliant
+and gorgeous beyond description.
+
+The applause was tumultuous; for, aside from the exceeding beauty
+of the picture, every heart in the audience was touched by the
+happy little face looking out at them from the midst of her
+devoted subjects, and the curtain was raised and lowered several
+times before they could be satisfied.
+
+Then the proud and happy juniors hastily divested themselves of
+their gay trappings and hurried away to join their friends and
+trip to inspiring music in the main hall below; thus Katherine was
+left with Dorothy alone on the stage.
+
+"Wasn't it perfectly lovely, Miss Minturn?" exclaimed the girl in
+a rapturous tone and with shining eyes. "I never saw you look so
+pretty, and I never had such a happy time in all my life. I only
+wish I could have seen the whole of it."
+
+"I think you will, later; or at least something very like it; for,
+when that flash light was thrown on, as the curtain went up the
+last time, somebody took a snapshot at us," Katherine replied,
+smiling fondly into the eager face.
+
+"Oh! who was it?"
+
+"Some one whom you know. Guess!"
+
+"Uncle Phil?"
+
+"Yes; he asked permission of the president of the class. But now I
+must see about getting you out of this place. I wonder where Alice
+can be!" said Katherine, looking out towards the deserted dressing
+room for the nurse, who had promised to be on hand to receive her
+charge as soon as everything was over.
+
+She had been disconnecting several ropes of flowers that had been
+attached to the chair while she was talking, and, as no one came
+to assist her, she now rolled the girl towards the side of the
+stage, thinking, perhaps, she might get her off herself, as it was
+not very high.
+
+But she had missed one rope, and, as it trailed along the floor,
+it swept over a saucer containing some still smoking Greek fire,
+or red light, that had been carelessly left just where it had been
+used.
+
+The soft paper ignited in an instant, and the next moment the
+lower part of the lily chariot was ablaze.
+
+"Oh! Miss Minturn!" shrieked Dorothy, "save me! save me!"
+
+For a second Katherine thought she would faint.
+
+The next she snatched a portiere that had been used in one of the
+tableaux and left upon the floor, and wrapped it closely around
+the burning paper, beating it with her hands and doing her utmost
+to smother the cruel flames. "Don't be afraid, dear," she said to
+the girl, who, after that one half-crazed appeal, seemed to be
+paralyzed with fear, "you are God's child--you cannot be harmed.
+He is Life, and there are no fatalities in His realm, 'though thou
+walk through the fire thou shalt not be burned.'"
+
+She did not know that she was talking aloud; she was not conscious
+of what she was saying; she only knew that she was reaching out,
+with her whole soul, to the ever-present Love wherein lay
+protection and safety, and all the time mechanically pulling the
+portiere closer about the chair.
+
+Suddenly she heard a low, startled exclamation, saw Dorothy
+snatched from among the smoke-blackened lilies and passed along to
+Alice, who at last had appeared upon the scene; then, as in a
+dream, she felt herself enveloped in a shawl which was drawn so
+tightly about her skirts that she could not move, and saw Dr.
+Stanley's pale, anxious face looking down into hers, while he told
+her, in calm, reassuring tones, that there was nothing to fear.
+
+"Can you stand so for a minute while I look after that still
+smoking chair?" he presently asked, and putting a corner of the
+shawl into her hand to hold.
+
+Fortunately it was her left hand, and she grasped it mechanically,
+while she tried to mentally deny the well-nigh unbearable pain
+that was making itself felt in her right hand and wrist.
+
+It was the work of but two or three minutes to crush out the last
+smoldering spark among the ruined lilies, for the flames had been
+effectually smothered by Katherine's presence of mind in wrapping
+the portiere about them and by her vigorous beating.
+
+Then the physician turned again to her and gently removed the
+shawl from her burned and disfigured skirts.
+
+"It is all out, thank God!" he said, after carefully looking her
+over. "It was a narrow escape for you and Dorrie, as well as from
+a serious conflagration. Now tell me, Miss Minturn, are you
+burned?" he concluded, searching her white face with troubled
+eyes.
+
+She tried to smile as she glanced down at her ruined dress.
+
+"A few dollars will make it all right, and that doesn't matter,"
+she returned evasively, but with lips that quivered in spite of
+her effort at self-control.
+
+"You were badly frightened, poor child! but it is over," he gently
+observed, the tense lines of his face softening in a reassuring
+smile.
+
+Then, seeing that she was keeping her right hand out of sight, he
+reached down and drew it forward into the light.
+
+"Miss Minturn!" he exclaimed, as he saw the reddened flesh and
+three great blisters, "you did it beating out the fire to save
+Dorothy. Come with me and I will dress it immediately."
+
+"No," she said, setting her teeth resolutely; "go to her; I shall
+do very well. Go!" she repeated, almost sharply, "for I saw that
+she had fainted when Alice took her."
+
+His brow contracted, and for an instant he seemed on the point of
+insisting upon taking care of her first.
+
+Then he drew forth his handkerchief and folded it gently about her
+hand, saying:
+
+"Well, if I must; but go you directly to your room and I will come
+to you as soon as I can."
+
+Katherine could bear no more, and, turning abruptly from him, sped
+from the place.
+
+As she passed out of the lecture hall, she almost ran into Miss
+Reynolds, who was on her way downstairs.
+
+"Katherine!" she cried, aghast, as she caught sight of her pain-
+contracted face, the handkerchief on her hand and her smoke-
+blackened clothes, "what has happened?"
+
+"Oh! may I go to your room?" gasped the girl.
+
+"Of course; come," and without another word the woman turned and
+led the way.
+
+"Lock the door and don't let anyone in," said Katherine, as she
+sank into the nearest chair and covered her face with her well
+hand.
+
+Miss Reynolds quietly obeyed, then went to her desk and began to
+read aloud, in a calm, clear voice, from the open "Science and
+Health" that lay upon it.
+
+For half an hour she kept on without stopping; but she then began
+to be conscious that effectual work was being done, for, at first,
+the sufferer sitting behind her had been unable to keep still a
+moment; but gradually she became less restless, and at the end of
+forty-five minutes had grown perfectly quiet and lay back in her
+chair, her face pale but peaceful.
+
+"Dear Miss Reynolds, you must go now. I must not keep you any
+longer," she said, at length.
+
+"My child, I shall not leave you while you need me," her teacher
+returned, and, going to her side, she tenderly smoothed back the
+dark hair from her forehead.
+
+"I am much easier, so do not mind leaving me. You will be missed,
+and some one will be coming for you; just let me stay here for a
+while and be sure not to tell anyone where I am, or why I am among
+the missing," Katherine pleaded, for she did not wish Dr. Stanley
+to learn her whereabouts, knowing he would seek her and insist
+upon dressing her burns.
+
+"I will be very discreet; but I am going to keep you with me all
+night," her teacher replied. "Now, if you can bear it, I will help
+you off with your clothes. You shall have one of my night-robes
+and go straight to bed."
+
+With fine tact she had refrained from asking a single question;
+but the suffering face, the pretty dress all burned and
+discolored, the handkerchief wrapped about her hand, told her
+something of what had occurred, and she could wait until later for
+details.
+
+She dexterously assisted her to undress; but while doing so the
+handkerchief was displaced and dropped to the floor and she had to
+shut her lips resolutely to repress the cry of pity that almost
+escaped her as she saw what it had covered. The next instant she
+was mentally repeating the "scientific statement of being,"
+[Footnote: "Science and Health," page 468.] while she quietly
+replaced the square of linen and pinned it to keep it in place.
+Then, with a grateful smile and a sigh of content, Katherine
+slipped into bed and sank upon her pillow.
+
+"Now go, please," she begged again, "and find out, if you can, how
+Dorothy is."
+
+"No, Kathie, I am not going just yet," was the decided reply,
+though there was a startled heart-bound at the girl's reference to
+Dorothy. She asked no questions, however, but, going back to her
+desk, continued her reading as before.
+
+In about fifteen minutes she glanced towards the bed and saw by
+her regular breathing that Katherine had fallen asleep. She bowed
+her head upon her book for a moment, and when she lifted it again
+there were tears on her cheeks, and in her eyes "a light that was
+ne'er on sea or land."
+
+Turning the gas low, she slipped softly out of the room and went
+downstairs to join the gay company who were all unconscious of
+what had been going on above.
+
+Five minutes later Dr. Stanley came to her, his fine face overcast
+and anxious.
+
+"Miss Reynolds, can you give me any information regarding Miss
+Minturn?" he inquired, adding: "I have been looking for her for
+nearly an hour, and no one seems to know where she is. I suppose
+you have heard about the accident?"
+
+"An accident?" repeated the lady, inquiringly. "Yes," and he
+proceeded to give a brief account of the narrow escape in the
+lecture hall. "I told Miss Minturn to go to her room," he
+continued, "and I would come to her as soon as I had ascertained
+if all was well with Dorothy. The child is all right; she was
+simply frightened and lost consciousness for a few moments. But
+Miss Minturn was badly burned, on her hand and arm, and her
+beautiful dress is a wreck. Mrs. Seabrook and I have been to her
+room; no one was there, nor can anyone give us a clew to her
+whereabouts," and the gentleman looked really distressed as he
+concluded.
+
+Miss Reynolds had been doing some practical thinking while he was
+talking, and now observed:
+
+"Well, Dr. Stanley, to relieve your anxiety, I will tell you that
+she is in my room, where she will remain all night. But I have
+disobeyed her injunction to tell no one where she is. Fortunately,
+I met her just as she was leaving the lecture hall, and she begged
+shelter with me. I have but just left her."
+
+"But she must have attention--her burns must be dressed," said the
+physician, in a tone of professional authority.
+
+"That will not be necessary, for she is asleep and resting
+quietly."
+
+"Asleep! impossible!" interposed the man, emphatically; "that is,
+unless she has taken a powerful opiate."
+
+"She has had nothing of the kind," was the quiet answer.
+
+"Then I repeat--it would be impossible for her to sleep," Dr.
+Stanley asserted, with a note of impatience in his tone. "Why,
+only an hour has elapsed since the accident, and, with those
+burns, it would be many hours before she could get any rest or
+relief without an opiate. I know," he added, flushing, "she is a
+Christian Scientist, but I can't quite swallow such a miracle as
+that."
+
+"Nevertheless, my friend, the dear girl, is sleeping peacefully--
+or was, ten minutes ago," the lady smilingly returned.
+
+"Did she put anything on those burns?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"Do you believe she 'demonstrated,' as they express it, over the
+pain?"
+
+"I know," she softly replied.
+
+"Ah!"--with a start--"are you--"
+
+Again she smiled as she interposed:
+
+"I must not say too much about that just now. I will say this,
+however: I have seen and learned enough to make me wish to know
+more, for Katherine Minturn is an earnest, honest exponent of her
+religion. I am very fond of her--she is one of the loveliest girls
+I have ever known."
+
+"I can heartily agree with you on that point," replied Phillip
+Stanley, gravely. "But I was hoping that I could be of service to
+her, for we owe her much for her wonderful presence of mind and
+practical common sense. But for that Dorothy would have been badly
+burned and a great sufferer at this moment, instead of having gone
+to bed the happiest girl in the building and full of gratitude to
+Miss Minturn for giving her so much pleasure. Will you say to her,
+if there is any way I can serve her, I shall be only too glad of
+the opportunity?"
+
+"Indeed I will, and I shall slip away very soon and go back to
+her, although I am sure she does not really need me. I am glad for
+her sake, however, that tomorrow will be Saturday."
+
+"May I tell my sister what you have told me?" Dr. Stanley
+inquired. "I know it would greatly relieve her mind, for she is
+much disturbed because Miss Minturn cannot be found."
+
+"Yes; I am sure Kathie would be willing, under the circumstances.
+I know her only fear was that she might be found before her work
+was done," Miss Reynolds said, after considering a moment. "I
+think," she added, "she would prefer not to have Dorothy told
+anything, except, perhaps, that her dress was injured."
+
+"Yes; it would mar her pleasure," her companion observed; "in
+fact, we have said nothing about the contretemps to anyone but the
+faculty as yet, fearing it might spoil the evening for many. We
+cannot be too thankful that it was no worse; if it had occurred
+before that last tableau was over, there is no telling how serious
+it might have been, with so many thin dresses and all those paper
+flowers," he concluded, gravely, then bowed himself away.
+
+After making the round of the room, Miss Reynolds sought Sadie and
+told her that as Katherine was not feeling quite herself, she
+would spend the night with her; then she stole away and went back
+to her charge.
+
+Katherine aroused when she entered the room, but showed no signs
+of present suffering.
+
+"How is Dorothy?" she questioned, eagerly.
+
+"She was not harmed in the least, and 'went to bed the happiest
+girl in the building,' so I was told."
+
+Katherine heaved a sigh of relief.
+
+She asked for a glass of water and drank thirstily when it was
+brought to her.
+
+"Can I do anything more for you, Kathie?" her friend inquired.
+
+The girl's eyes wandered to the books on her desk.
+
+"Shall I read?--what?"
+
+"The twenty-third psalm, please."
+
+Miss Reynolds found and read it as given and interpreted in
+"Science and Health": "Divine Love is my Shepherd; I shall not
+want. Love maketh me to lie down in green pastures; Love leadeth
+me beside still waters;" [Footnote: "Science and Health," page
+16.] and so on to the end.
+
+Then she turned to her own marker and read for herself a while.
+
+The room was very quiet, for the revelers below were so far away
+they could not be heard. Only a strain of music from the orchestra
+was now and then wafted on a gentle breeze to them through an open
+window.
+
+Suddenly a deep sigh from the bed fell upon the reader's ear. She
+started and turned toward her charge.
+
+"'Love'--'still waters,'" murmured Katherine, then turned like a
+tired child on her pillow and was again locked in slumber.
+
+Softly, Miss Reynolds laid aside her festal attire, made a nest
+for herself on her roomy couch and, to the faintly flowing rhythm
+of "The Beautiful Blue Danube," soon lost herself in dreamland,
+never waking until the brilliant sun of a glorious June morning
+flooded her room and warned her that a new day had begun.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+DR. STANLEY HAS AN OBJECT LESSON.
+
+
+She found Katherine already awake.
+
+"What do you think of tramps who take possession of your room and
+drive you out of your comfortable bed?" playfully demanded the
+girl, and nodding brightly at her.
+
+"I like it--that is, when I have the privilege of choosing the
+tramp," her teacher laughingly responded, as she sat up and
+glanced at the clock; "besides, this couch is every bit as
+comfortable as the bed. Did you rest well, Kathie?"
+
+"Beautifully. The last I knew, until about ten minutes ago, you
+were reading the twenty-third psalm."
+
+Miss Reynolds arose and began to dress. Once or twice she found
+her eyes straying to Katherine's bandaged hand, and longed to
+inquire regarding its condition. But she wisely resisted the
+temptation and maintained a discreet silence.
+
+"You will not try to go down to breakfast, Kathie," she remarked,
+as she completed her toilet, and the bell began to ring just at
+that moment.
+
+"No, I think I will keep out of sight to-day. I do not wish to
+answer questions. Besides, I haven't anything here suitable to put
+on." and she bestowed a rueful look upon her pretty evening dress,
+all crumpled and burned, that lay over the back of a chair.
+
+"True; but I will go for one of your dresses when I come up from
+breakfast," said her friend; "meantime, if you care to get up, you
+can slip on this negligee of mine," and she threw a dainty wrapper
+over the foot of the bed as she spoke.
+
+As soon as Miss Reynolds left the room, Katherine arose and
+dressed, then sat down to read. She was glad to be alone, for,
+though she was entirely free from pain, she felt she still had
+work to do for herself.
+
+For nearly an hour she read and worked diligently, and then her
+teacher returned, bearing a tempting breakfast, which she soon
+dispatched with the appetite of a healthy, hungry girl.
+
+"I met Prof. Seabrook and his wife on my way up," Miss Reynolds
+observed, as she began putting away the things she had worn the
+previous evening, "and both inquired most kindly for you. The
+professor said you are excused from the class lecture this
+morning, if you wish, and Mrs. Seabrook will come to see you
+later. They both expressed themselves as deeply grateful for what
+you did last night."
+
+"I scarcely know what I did," Katherine returned, flushing. "Dr.
+Stanley came so quickly to the rescue that it was all over before
+I could think clearly. It seems like a dream."
+
+"Yes, he told me all about it last night, Kathie, and said but for
+your rare presence of mind there might have been a bad fire. He
+was pretty well cut up, however, when he found that you had hidden
+yourself away and he had lost a patient," Miss Reynolds replied
+with a laugh of amusement, which was merrily echoed by her guest.
+
+"He doesn't seem to take much stock in Science, dear," she
+presently resumed. "He was simply amazed when I told him you were
+sleeping--I thought it best, as long as your work was done, to
+relieve his anxiety--and declared that was impossible, unless you
+had taken a powerful opiate."
+
+"An opiate is something which mortal mind says produces repose;
+well, I had taken a large dose of that 'Peace, be still,' which,
+rightly administered, never fails to give the sufferer and the
+weary rest," said Katherine, with luminous eyes.
+
+"It was beautiful, Kathie, and, figuratively speaking, I 'put off
+my shoes from off my feet,' feeling that the 'place whereon I
+stood was, indeed, holy ground,'" reverently observed her
+companion. "But, tell me, weren't you afraid when you saw the
+flames?"
+
+"Yes, for an instant, then I forgot everything but the 'secret
+place' and 'the shadow.'"
+
+"How much those words mean to me now! And you believe that every
+statement of that ninety-first psalm can be proved--made
+practical?' gravely inquired Miss Reynolds.
+
+"Every one."
+
+"Well, I think I am beginning to know it, too; though, as yet, it
+is like 'seeing through a glass darkly,'" and a sweet seriousness
+settled over the woman's face. "But," she went on, arousing
+herself after a moment, "if you will tell me what to bring you I
+will now go to your room for some clothes."
+
+"Really, I am perfectly able to go for them myself," Katherine
+began.
+
+"No, indeed; you are going to remain just where you are, at least
+for the morning," said her teacher, authoritatively. "At this hour
+you would be sure to meet many of the students and become the
+target for innumerable questions."
+
+"Well, then, bring my linen suit and my 'Horace,' please. I have
+to complete an essay on that accomplished and agreeable gentleman
+'as a poet and a wit,' and I can spend the morning working upon
+it."
+
+Miss Reynolds slipped away on her errand, but she no sooner
+reached the main hall than she was surrounded by a bevy of excited
+maidens and besieged with a volley of inquiries regarding the
+accident of the previous night.
+
+Dorothy's nurse, Alice, had described the scene in the lecture
+hall to one of the maids, when, of course, the news had spread
+like wildfire, and it, together with Katherine's "heroism," was
+the one topic of the day. Sadie had also heard it and was on her
+way to see her chum when she, too, met the teacher in the hall.
+
+She went back to her room with her, found the things Katherine had
+designated, and then, as it was nearly time for the class lecture,
+sent word that she would come to see her after study hours were
+over.
+
+When Miss Reynolds reached her own door again, she found a maid
+standing there with a long box in her hands.
+
+"Mrs. Seabrook told me to bring this up to you, marm," the girl
+observed; but on entering her room and relieving herself of her
+armful of clothing, she saw that the package was addressed to
+"Miss Katherine Minturn."
+
+"What have we here, I wonder?" she remarked, as she passed it to
+her companion, together with a pair of scissors.
+
+Katherine cut the string and lifted the cover, when a cry of
+delight broke from her.
+
+"Dear Miss Reynolds! look!" she said, holding the box towards her
+for inspection.
+
+It was filled with fragrant, long-stemmed Jack roses.
+
+"How lovely! Who can the donor be?" she said. "Ah! there is a
+card, tucked almost out of sight, under the foliage."
+
+Katherine drew it forth, and a quick flush suffused her face as
+she read the name, "Phillip Harris Stanley." She passed it to her
+friend, then bent over her box of crimson beauties, as if to
+inhale their perfume, but really to hide the deepening color in
+her cheeks.
+
+Presently a bell rang and Miss Reynolds was obliged to go to a
+class, thus leaving Katherine alone with her books and her
+flowers, and in a very happy frame of mind.
+
+It was nearly noon before Mrs. Seabrook could steal away from her
+duties to go to see her; and when Katherine, in response to her
+knock, admitted her, she took the girl into her arms and kissed
+her with quivering lips, her eyes brimming with tears.
+
+"My dear child, you know it is simply impossible for me to tell
+you all there is in my heart," she began, but her voice broke and
+she had to stop to maintain her self-control.
+
+"Do not try, dear Mrs. Seabrook," said Katherine, as she returned
+her caress. "I know it all, and you cannot be more thankful than I
+am that Dorothy escaped without even having her pleasure spoiled."
+
+"She talks of nothing but her 'beautiful time' and your
+'bravery,'" the mother resumed. "She says that even though she
+cannot remember much of what happened, after you wrapped the
+portiere about the chair, she did hear you tell her 'not to be
+afraid, for she was God's child and could not be harmed.' She was
+not harmed in any way; she simply fainted from the shock, and
+seems even brighter to-day than she was yesterday. But you
+suffered for her," and Mrs. Seabrook's tremulous lips failed her
+again, as she softly touched the girl's bandaged hand.
+
+"It is almost nothing now," said Katherine, brightly. "I am fast
+forgetting it myself, and want everybody else to. Does Dorrie
+know?"
+
+"No; my brother thought it best not to tell her."
+
+"I am glad; pray keep it from her if possible."
+
+"But is it not very sore? Are you not suffering?"
+
+"Not in the least, I assure you. The pain lasted only a little
+while; I slept lovely and feel as good as new this morning."
+
+"But your beautiful dress was ruined, though that, of course,
+shall be replaced; and you lost your good time last night," and
+the woman heaved a regretful sigh.
+
+Katherine laughed out merrily.
+
+"You will not let me 'forget,'" she said. "But there will be
+plenty of other 'good times,' and all else is as nothing in the
+balance, compared with Dorothy's safety." Then, to change the
+subject, she inquired: "Now, tell me, wasn't that last tableau
+about as fine as anything could be?"
+
+"It was exquisite beyond description," said Mrs. Seabrook, with
+animation. "Mr. Seabrook was delighted with it, and so pleased to
+have Dorrie in it. It was lovely of the juniors to take so much
+pains for her and make her the central figure. The whole
+entertainment was a great success; your production was very bright
+and clever, and our guests from outside had nothing but praise for
+everything. Oh! by the way, Miss Minturn, my husband sends his
+kindest regards to you by me. He said it was all he could do until
+he could see you personally."
+
+After chatting a little longer she arose to go, saying she was
+expecting company to dine with her.
+
+Then she paused and again gently touched the spotless handkerchief
+bound around Katherine's hand.
+
+"My dear," she observed, searching her face with curious eyes, "I
+cannot reconcile your bright and happy appearance with this; to me
+it is a marvel, and I wish--oh! how I wish--"
+
+She checked herself suddenly, but Katherine read her thought.
+
+"I know," she said, softly, "and my heart has been full of the
+same yearning for a long time. It will come, dear Mrs. Seabrook,
+if we keep on wishing and praying."
+
+"If I only knew how to pray as--as you do!" was the wistful
+response.
+
+"The Lord's Prayer meets every human need, particularly the
+clause, 'Thy will be done on earth as in heaven;' only we need to
+know it was never our Father's 'will' that His children should
+suffer," Katherine returned.
+
+Tears rushed to the elder woman's eyes.
+
+"I wish I could understand," she began, brokenly. Then, bending
+forward, she left a light kiss on the girl's cheek and abruptly
+left the room.
+
+There were tears in Katherine's eyes also, but a tender smile on
+her lips.
+
+"Divine Love is preparing the soil for the seed," she murmured to
+herself as she went back to her essay.
+
+She kept herself aloof from the other students as much as possible
+until Monday, when she appeared as usual in her classes. She had
+to run the gantlet of some inquiries regarding the extent of her
+injuries, hut she made light of them, and her comrades began to
+think they must have been greatly exaggerated, and so gave the
+matter no further thought.
+
+Monday afternoon, when the duties of the day were over, she went
+to see Dorothy, who had sent her several pressing invitations
+during the last three days.
+
+"I thought you would never come, Miss Minturn," she exclaimed, the
+moment the door opened to admit her, "and I have so wanted to talk
+over that lovely--lovely time with you."
+
+"I have been pretty busy, dear, since I saw you," Katherine
+replied, bending to kiss the eager face.
+
+"I expect you have, getting ready for exams, and everything, and
+I've tried to be patient," said the child, with a sigh, as she
+recalled how impatient she had felt. "Everybody says that was such
+a beautiful tableau!" she went on, with shining eyes, "and we know
+it was, don't we? I shall never forget it; only, it was too bad to
+have such a scare afterwards and my pretty chariot spoiled. Wasn't
+it lucky, though, that Uncle Phillip happened to come just when he
+did and--" but she was obliged to pause here for breath.
+
+"Indeed, it was most fortunate, and I am sorry that the chariot
+was spoiled, for it would have been a pleasant reminder of our
+lily queen's grandeur as long as you cared to preserve it,"
+Katherine returned.
+
+"But that was nothing compared with your dress!" was the regretful
+rejoinder. "Uncle Phil said the skirt was ruined; but papa says
+you shall have another every bit as nice--"
+
+"Indeed, you shall, Miss Minturn," here interposed Prof. Seabrook,
+coming from the adjoining room, where he had overheard the above
+conversation.
+
+He cordially extended his hand as he spoke, while his tone and
+manner were more affable than they had been since the day of her
+admission to the school.
+
+"We owe you a great deal," he continued, "both for the pleasure
+you were instrumental in giving our little girl last Friday night,
+and for your presence of mind which saved--no one can estimate how
+much--possibly a dangerous panic, the destruction of property and
+much suffering."
+
+He had been quietly inspecting the hand he held, while he was
+speaking, and was greatly surprised to find only a slight
+discoloration where he had expected to see unsightly sores or
+scars, and, while he did not wish to undervalue her heroism and
+self-abnegation, he began to think that his brother-in-law had
+greatly over-estimated the injuries which she had sustained.
+
+"I am afraid you are giving me far more credit than is my due,"
+Katherine replied, releasing her hand and flushing as she read
+something of what was passing in his mind. "I simply did what
+first came to my thought and--"
+
+"And exactly the right thing it was to do," the man smilingly
+interposed.
+
+"And Dr. Stanley did the rest," she persisted, finishing what had
+been in her mind to say.
+
+"Well, 'all's well that ends well,' and we are very grateful that
+things are as they are," said the professor, earnestly, adding:
+
+"You must allow me to repair whatever damage has teen done, as far
+as money can do that. It pains me to know that you were burned,
+but I am thankful to see that you did not suffer as severely as I
+was led to infer." He glanced at her hand again as he concluded.
+
+"I suffered more on Dorothy's account, I think, than in any other
+way," the girl quietly replied.
+
+"Why! were you burned, Miss Minturn?" Dorothy exclaimed, catching
+her breath sharply.
+
+"You would hardly know it now," she said, showing her hand, for
+she saw she could no longer conceal the fact from her.
+
+Dorothy took it, looked it over, then touched her lips lovingly to
+it.
+
+"I'm very sorry," she said, "but it couldn't have been so awful
+bad to get well so quickly, could it?"
+
+"It is all passed now, dearie, and we are glad that no one's good
+time was spoiled, aren't we?" Katherine observed and hastening to
+change the subject.
+
+"Indeed, we are. It was such a happy time!" sighed Dorrie, in a
+tone of supreme content. "I've dreamed and dreamed of it. I wake
+in the morning thinking of it, and mamma and I talk and talk about
+it."
+
+"I wish to add, Miss Katherine," her principal here interposed,
+"that your special contribution to the programme of last Friday
+evening was exceedingly entertaining; and"--his eyes resting very
+kindly on her--"having learned the circumstances that inspired it,
+I heartily appreciate the spirit with which you met and mastered
+them. Now, Dorrie, I will not keep you from your talk with her any
+longer," and, with a genial smile and bow, the gentleman left the
+room.
+
+Katherine remained an hour with Dorothy and allowed her to
+expatiate upon her "good time" to her heart's content, after which
+she went out into the grounds for a little quiet meditation by
+herself.
+
+She was very happy because of what Prof. Seabrook had said to her
+and the marked change in his manner towards her. He had addressed
+her by her first name, too, for the first time, a thing which he
+never did in speaking to students in public; but there were a
+favored few whom he sometimes greeted thus when he chanced to meet
+them informally, and it now seemed as if she were henceforth to be
+numbered with them.
+
+All the same, she knew that, in his heart, he was not one whit
+more tolerant of her religious views, and the skeptical gleam in
+his eyes, while inspecting her hand, had told her that he had no
+faith whatever that she had made a "demonstration" over a severe
+burn. But it was evident there had been a radical change in his
+attitude towards her; he no longer entertained any personal
+repulsion, and thus, with the little fire of Friday night, all
+"barriers had been burned away" and a bond of true sympathy re-
+established between them. So, with a smile on her lips and a song
+in her heart, she made her way to a favorite spot, beneath a
+mammoth beech tree, where, drawing forth a pocket edition of
+"Unity of Good" [Footnote: By Mary Baker G. Eddy.], that tiny
+book, that multum in parvo which, to every earnest student of
+Christian Science, becomes a veritable casket of precious jewels,
+she was soon lost to all things material in the perusal of its
+pages.
+
+She had been reading fifteen minutes, perhaps, when a muffled step
+on the heavy greensward caused her to glance up, to find Dr.
+Stanley almost beside her.
+
+"All inquiries regarding a certain lady's health, I perceive, are
+quite unnecessary," he observed, as he searched her glowing face.
+"Pray pardon me if I have startled you, but I would like to know
+how that poor hand is getting on, if it is permissible to mention
+it."
+
+"It is not a 'poor hand'--it is a very good hand, indeed, thank
+you, Dr. Stanley; at least, for all practical purposes," she
+demurely returned, but keeping it persistently out of sight, among
+the folds of her dress, where it had fallen when she arose to
+greet him.
+
+"Miss Minturn, aren't you going to shake hands with an old
+friend?" he gravely queried, extending his hand to her, but with a
+roguish sparkle in his handsome eyes.
+
+Katherine laughed out musically, and reluctantly laid hers within
+his palm.
+
+The man's face assumed an inscrutable expression as he turned the
+small member over and examined it with a critical look, even
+pushing up her sleeve a trifle to view the arm; but the slender
+wrist was fair and white and no flaw anywhere, except the slight
+discoloration previously referred to, where the unsightly blisters
+had been.
+
+"Miss Minturn, it is less than three days since that accident
+occurred, and those burns are entirely healed! What did you do for
+them?" he demanded, in low, repressed tones.
+
+"Nothing, except to know that 'God is an ever-present help in time
+of trouble.'"
+
+"Do you mean to tell me that you applied no lotion or salve? that
+you did nothing but 'demonstrate mentally,' as you Scientists
+express it?"
+
+"That was all, Dr. Stanley. I had no lotion or salve."
+
+"How long did you suffer from the pain? I suppose you shrink from
+being questioned thus by a doctor," he interposed, as he observed
+her heightened color; "but please tell me--I want to know."
+
+"The burning sensation was all gone at the end of three-quarters
+of an hour, by the clock, though I confess the time seemed much
+longer than that," she admitted, with a faint smile. "I was
+conscious that my hand was sore and very tender as long as I was
+awake; but in the morning that also was a belief of the past."
+
+"It is beyond me!" muttered the physician, with a puzzled brow.
+"But," he added, frankly, "I am heartily glad you did not have to
+suffer many hours, as I felt sure you would, after seeing the
+condition of your hand that night. I went to your room with my
+sister, after attending to Dorothy, but, as you know, failed to
+find you. An hour later Miss Reynolds astounded me by telling me
+that you were in her room, asleep."
+
+"Yes, she kindly took me under the shelter of her wing."
+
+"Miss Minturn"--accusingly--"you ran away from me; you did not
+want me to find you;" but he smiled as he said it.
+
+"It was far better for me, with our conflicting opinions. It would
+only have prolonged my suffering if you had found me and insisted
+upon dressing the burns, even though your motive was most kind,"
+Katherine gently explained.
+
+"I am almost tempted to believe that, after what I have heard and
+seen," he thoughtfully admitted.
+
+"I hope you do not feel that I did not appreciate your kindness,"
+Katherine observed, a note of appeal in her voice. "I know that
+you would have done your best for me, in your way. And now, let me
+thank you again for the lovely Jacks. I have not seen such
+beauties for a long time. I hope you received my note of
+acknowledgment."
+
+"Yes, and wondered how you had managed to hold a pen, much more
+write your natural hand."
+
+For a moment Katherine wondered how he could know her "natural
+hand"; then she remembered that he had asked an exchange of cards
+from herself and her mother the day before they landed the
+previous fall. She had just given her last one away, so had been
+obliged to write her name and address on a blank card.
+
+"What is this little book, in which you were so absorbed as I came
+upon you?" he resumed, as he picked it up from the seat where she
+had laid it and turned to the title page. "U-m! another production
+by that remarkable woman! Do you understand it?"
+
+"I am growing to understand it better every time I read it. There
+is much that is beautiful and helpful in it."
+
+"Well, one would need to read over and over to comprehend what she
+teaches, and"--reflectively--"I am not sure but what it would be
+well worth one's while. But I must go. Dorrie will think I am very
+late this afternoon. An, revoir, Miss Minturn," and slipping the
+book into Katherine's hands, he lifted his hat and went his way,
+while she looked after him with shining eyes.
+
+"Mamma sowed better than she knew, there; the soil is good and the
+seed is taking root," she told herself as she turned with a light
+heart back to her book.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+SADIE RECEIVES AN OPPORTUNE INVITATION.
+
+
+The last weeks of the school year just seemed to melt away until
+only one remained, and this was filled full with many duties,
+various class meetings, preparations for graduating day, class
+receptions, etc.
+
+For some time Katherine had observed that Sadie appeared absent-
+minded and depressed; in fact, wholly unlike herself, and twice of
+late she had surprised her in violent weeping. But the girl would
+give no reason, made light of it as "nervousness," and evaded all
+questions.
+
+One day, while looking over their personal belongings and packing
+away things no longer needed, preparatory to their flitting,
+Katherine abruptly inquired:
+
+"Sadie, where are you going to spend your summer?"
+
+The girl started violently and turned a vivid scarlet.
+
+"I--I don't know, honey. I reckon I may travel some," she said,
+after a moment of hesitation.
+
+"With your guardian and his family?"
+
+"N-o; they're going to Europe, but I don't care to go with them."
+
+"But you surely cannot travel by yourself," Katherine observed, in
+surprise, while she regarded the averted face opposite her
+curiously, an unaccountable feeling of uneasiness taking
+possession of her.
+
+"I--I suppose I can't; perhaps I shan't, after all," Sadie
+stammered. "I may go to some quiet place and board."
+
+"Even in that case you would need a chaperon," Katherine objected.
+
+"Well, Mr. Farnsworth wants me to go to his sister in Genesee
+County. She's a stiff, little old maid who lives by herself, and
+he says if I will not go to Europe I must stay with her. But I
+might as well be shut up in a convent, and--I won't," and there
+was a resonant note of defiance in Miss Minot's voice as she
+concluded.
+
+"But what is your objection to the European trip, Sadie? I should
+think you would like it; I am sure you could have no better
+opportunity than to go with the Farnsworths," argued Katherine,
+who was more and more perplexed by her roommate's strange caprice.
+
+"Oh! well, I'm not going, anyway, and that settles the matter!"
+sharply retorted the girl from the depths of her trunk, but her
+voice was thick with tears.
+
+Katherine suddenly sat erect, a startled expression sweeping over
+her face. She dropped the subject, but before an hour had passed a
+hastily written, special delivery missive was on its way to Mrs.
+Minturn.
+
+The next evening, after supper, she burst into her room, her face
+beaming with joy, an open letter in her hand, to find Sadie
+drooping over a note she had been writing and nibbling at the stem
+of her pen, apparently in the most disconsolate frame of mind.
+
+She hastily drew a blank sheet of paper over the written page to
+hide it, a circumstance which did not escape the observing eye of
+her chum, and, looking over her shoulder, inquired:
+
+"What is it, Katherine? You look as if you'd had good news."
+
+"I have--at least good news to me, and I hope it will be to you
+also," was the cheery reply.
+
+Sadie sat up and looked interested.
+
+"To me! How so?" she said, in surprise.
+
+"Well, I wrote mamma yesterday that you seemed to be in something
+of a quandary about your summer, and as I have the privilege of
+inviting some one to spend my vacation with me, I asked her if I
+might have you--that is, if you would like to come. Would you,
+dear?" Katherine pleaded, with an anxiously beating heart. "We
+have a cottage at Manchester-by-the-Sea, in Massachusetts, which
+we make our headquarters, then take little trips here and there,
+as the spirit moves us. Papa cannot be with us all the time, on
+account of business, but he comes and goes, bringing some of his
+friends now and then; and, Sadie, we do have very nice times. Now
+will you be my guest for the summer? I have a special delivery
+from mamma, who also wants you."
+
+The girl had remained motionless, almost breathless while
+Katherine was speaking, a peculiar look on her face, which grew
+red and white by turns. She did not at once reply when she
+concluded, but seemed irresolute, almost dazed, in fact, by what
+she had heard.
+
+Then, all at once, she started to her feet, threw her arms around
+Katherine, bowed her head upon her shoulder and burst into a
+passion of tears.
+
+"Oh! how good of you, Katharine! How good of you! It will seem
+like heaven to me!" she sobbed, with more feeling than she had
+ever manifested before during all the months they had spent
+together. "Ah! I have been so lonesome, so homesick, so--so
+wretched, and I would love to go if--if you really want me."
+
+"I certainly do, Sadie, or I would not have asked you," Katherine
+heartily responded, and now feeling very sure that she had done a
+wise thing, for she was convinced that the girl's "wretchedness"
+had proceeded from an entirely different cause than a choice
+between a European tour and a sojourn with an "old maid in Genesee
+County."
+
+"It is perfectly lovely of you, and I can never tell you how much
+it means to me!" Sadie replied, with a long breath of relief,
+while she wiped the hot tears from her cheeks.
+
+"Well, you need not be 'homesick' any longer," was the cheery
+assurance, "for mamma will make you feel that you have your own
+place in our dear home nest on the rocks by the sea; and papa is
+the jolliest of men. No one need be 'lonesome' when he is around,
+and we shall have other friends with us some of the time. Listen
+while I read you what mamma says: 'Have your friend come, by all
+means, if she thinks she can be happy with us. You can explain
+what our plans are, and if they prove attractive we will make her
+one with us.'"
+
+"That will be perfectly delightful! It is awfully sweet of you
+both," Sadie exclaimed, with sparkling eyes, her spirits quickly
+rebounding, as the burden of a few hours previous began to roll
+from her heart. "Oh! Katherine, you never can know how happy you
+have made me, and I am going to write to my guardian this very
+minute."
+
+She turned back to her desk, and presently Katherine heard her
+tearing paper into tiny bits, after which she wrote two letters
+and then went immediately out to post them.
+
+There were no more tears or doleful looks during the remainder of
+the week. A day or two later there came an approving letter and a
+generous check from Mr. Farnsworth, and Sadie was once more her
+serene and gracious self and looking forward eagerly to the day of
+their flitting to the sea.
+
+Katherine, on the other hand, was feeling an unaccountable
+reluctance to leaving, even with the expectation of returning in
+September, and in spite of her longing for both father and mother.
+It was very strange, she told herself, but she certainly was not
+elated over the prospect of a long vacation.
+
+Prof. Seabrook was going to Europe for a complete change of scene
+and rest. Mrs. Seabrook, Dorothy and nurse were booked for a quiet
+spot in the White Mountains, where, it was hoped, pure air and
+country life and diet would strengthen the frail girl for what was
+in store for her, and where Dr. Stanley would join them, for the
+month of August, if he could arrange to leave his patients.
+
+Miss Reynolds was to go to her home in Auburn for July, but, to
+Katherine's delight, had accepted an invitation from Mrs. Minturn
+to be her guest during the first two weeks of August.
+
+And so, when the morning of their departure came, adieus and good
+wishes were exchanged with their many school friends, and the two
+girls started upon their journey to the coast of the "good old Bay
+State" and lovely Manchester, that beautiful town so boldly
+perched on rugged crags and nestling so restfully 'mid sylvan
+shadows.
+
+There was a secret sense of disappointment in Katherine's heart
+because she had not seen Dr. Stanley during these last days. He
+had been unusually busy for a month, and she had not met him since
+the afternoon, of their brief interview under the great beech
+tree; but when she went to say farewell to Mrs. Seabrook she left
+a friendly message and good-by for him.
+
+Dorothy wept when taking leave of her, and Mrs. Seabrook clung
+fondly to her.
+
+"I am very loath to let you go," she said, "for there have been
+many peaceful hours in this room when you have been with us, and I
+shall count the weeks until we are all back again. Somehow, I am
+dreading my summer," she concluded, with a weary sigh.
+
+It was six o'clock in the evening when the young travelers reached
+Boston, where they were met by Mr. Minturn, an unusually
+prepossessing gentleman, who evidently was very fond of "my
+girlie," as he called Katherine when he gathered her into his
+strong arms. and held close for a moment.
+
+Then he greeted Sadie with a breezy cordiality which, for once,
+disabused her of the notion that Northerners were "stiff and cold"
+and Southern hospitality at a premium.
+
+They had just time to get their trunks rechecked and catch a
+suburban train, and about an hour later, seated behind a pair of
+spirited bays, they were rolling over a smooth country road and
+ere long drew up beneath the porte cochere of a fine residence
+built on a rocky bluff and overlooking a broad expanse of ocean.
+
+"So this is a 'cottage by the sea,' a 'nest on the rocks,'" Miss
+Minot mentally observed to herself as her glance roamed over the
+roomy mansion, while she was mounting the steps leading to the
+wide veranda, where Mrs. Minturn and another lady, both in dinner
+costumes, were waiting to welcome them. Katherine flew to her
+mother's arms, while Mr. Minturn presented Sadie to Mrs. Evarts;
+then, presently, Mrs. Minturn came to her, greeting her so
+graciously and lovingly that her heart was won at once, and she
+felt that she had been admitted within a charmed circle and a
+strangely peaceful atmosphere.
+
+"Now, my dears, I am not going to make you dress to-night," Mrs.
+Minturn observed, when the greetings were over. "Ellen"--glancing
+at a maid in spotless cap and apron--"will take you upstairs and
+help you get rid of some of the dust of travel, then you can come
+directly down, for we were only awaiting your arrival before
+having dinner served."
+
+The maid took possession of their hand bags and led the way
+indoors, up a broad stairway to two adjoining rooms, opening out
+upon a balcony which commanded, a fine view of both land and sea.
+After submitting to a vigorous brushing, bathing hands and faces
+and pinning into place some truant locks, they went below to a
+tempting repast, to which the two hungry travelers did ample
+justice.
+
+The weeks that followed Sadie Minot never forgot, for they marked
+the beginning of a new era in her life. She seemed to be living in
+a different world. Every day was begun with a reading from the
+Bible and the Christian Science text-book; this was followed by
+the singing of a lovely hymn, then came a minute or two of silent
+communion, after which the Lord's Prayer was repeated in unison.
+
+Ofttimes Mrs. Minturn and her friend would remain to discuss or go
+over again some passage that had awakened a new train of thought,
+and frequently Sadie found herself lingering also, an interested
+listener.
+
+After a week of rest they began to make trips to various points of
+interest, sometimes stopping two or three days in a place, then
+returning to Manchester for a little season of quiet, when they
+would flit away again in another direction.
+
+It was ideal. There was never any friction or jar in the home or
+on the wing; an atmosphere of peace and love brooded everywhere,
+while, at the same time, a spirit of good-fellowship and jollity
+pervaded the entire household, particularly when Mr. Minturn made
+one of their number.
+
+Katherine, who was quietly observant of her friend, was glad to
+see that there was no return of the absentminded moods or
+depression that had previously overshadowed her; but that she
+seemed care-free and happy, giving herself up heartily to the
+enjoyment of her vacation.
+
+Only now and then, when a letter addressed in a bold, free hand
+came to her, did she seem to cast a backward glance or recall
+anything to mar her pleasure.
+
+They had little visits at Newport and Narragansett Pier, a trip to
+the Thousand Isles, interspersed with outings at the Essex County
+Club at home; golf, tennis and drives, and, now and then, a run to
+Boston for sightseeing or shopping.
+
+One morning--the very last of July--Katherine received a letter
+bearing a New Hampshire postmark.
+
+"I wonder if it is from Mrs. Seabrook! I have been wishing we
+might hear from Dorothy," she observed, as she hastily cut the end
+of the envelope and drew forth a closely written sheet. "Yes, it
+is," she supplemented, glancing at the name appended, and then
+became absorbed in its contents, her face growing grave and
+wistful as she read.
+
+"Mamma," she remarked, when she had finished and was refolding the
+missive, "Mrs. Seabrook writes that Dorothy is not as well. They
+have had to send for Dr. Stanley, and he thinks that the mountain
+air does not agree with her; that she would be better near the
+sea. She has written to ask if we know of a cottage here that she
+could rent for the remainder of the season."
+
+"Why, yes; there is the Hunt cottage. Mrs. Hunt told me yesterday
+that they are all going on a trip through the Canadas; but she was
+in a quandary about her help. She does not like to let them go,
+neither does she feel quite like leaving them to run the house by
+themselves. Perhaps she would be glad to rent it," Mrs. Minturn
+returned.
+
+'That would be delightful, for then we could have Mrs. Seabrook
+for a neighbor, and--oh! mamma--if we only could do something for
+that dear child," said Katherine, yearningly.
+
+"We could not interfere there, dear," her mother gravely replied.
+"We could do nothing, with Prof. Seabrook so opposed to the
+treatment of Christian Science. But I will go and talk with Mrs.
+Hunt and see what can be done for your friends."
+
+The result of her call was a cordial assent on the part of the
+Hunts to rent the cottage, if the Seabrooks, after learning the
+terms, desired to have it.
+
+Katherine wrote by return mail, stating the case to Mrs. Seabrook,
+and the second day afterward, while she and Sadie were busy with
+some fancy work on the veranda, Dr. Stanley suddenly appeared,
+mounting the steps.
+
+Katherine sprang forward to greet him, her face glowing with
+pleasure.
+
+"This is a delightful surprise, Dr. Stanley," she said, giving him
+a cordial hand. "Come and have a chair. If you have walked from
+the station you will be glad to get out of the sun, and I am sure
+you need no introduction to Miss Minot."
+
+The physician saluted Sadie with his customary courtesy, then
+seated himself in the comfortable rocker tendered him, and gazed,
+with an appreciative eye, off upon the blue expanse before him, at
+the same time taking in deep breaths of the cool, delicious salt
+air.
+
+"This is glorious!" he exclaimed. "Young ladies, I do not wonder
+at the roses in your cheeks, in view of these invigorating breezes
+wafted straight from the domain of old Neptune."
+
+Sadie, however, did marvel as she observed the unusual color in
+the face of her friend. "The invigorating breezes of 'Old
+'Neptune' didn't have anything to do with that," she said to
+herself.
+
+"We have found it very warm and close up in the mountains," the
+gentleman resumed, "and I now regret that I did not send my sister
+to the sea at the beginning of the summer."
+
+Katherine inquired for Mrs. Seabrook, who had scarcely referred to
+herself in her letter, and expressed her regret that Dorrie had
+seemed to lose ground.
+
+"Yes, she has been very poorly, and her mother is simply worn out
+with anxiety and watching," said Phillip Stanley, with a clouded
+brow. "You perceive I lost no time, after the receipt of your
+letter, in coming to conclude the arrangements with Mrs. Hunt."
+
+"You will find her cottage very comfortable and homelike, although
+it is not very large," Katherine informed him. "We think it is
+just the place for you, because of the well-trained help, which
+will greatly relieve dear Mrs. Seabrook. That is the house--the
+second one above us on the opposite side of the street."
+
+"The location is certainly fine. It is high, has a good view of
+the ocean and spacious grounds. I shall feel that we are very
+fortunate to secure it. I wonder if I shall find Mrs. Hunt at
+home?" said the gentleman, and apparently eager to conclude the
+bargain.
+
+"I think so, and, if agreeable to you, Dr. Stanley, I will go over
+with and introduce you to her," returned his young hostess.
+
+"That is very good of you, Miss Minturn," he eagerly responded,
+with a look that caused the white lids to droop quickly over the
+brown eyes. "I shall certainly avail myself of your kind offer."
+
+"I am sorry that mamma is not at home," Katherine remarked, as she
+arose to go in and make ready for the proposed call. "She will be
+disappointed to have missed you. She was obliged to go to Boston
+this morning, with Miss Reynolds, who arrived last night, and will
+not be back until late this evening. Sadie, will you come with us
+to Mrs. Hunt's?" she concluded, turning to her friend.
+
+"No, I reckon not," the girl lazily replied. "I am too comfortable
+to move, unless the occasion is imperative."
+
+Katherine disappeared, but shortly returned equipped for her call,
+and Phillip Stanley's glance rested appreciatively on the lithe,
+graceful figure in its dainty robe of pale yellow chambrey, with
+its soft garnishings of lace and black velvet. The nut-brown head
+was crowned with a pretty shade hat of yellow straw, also trimmed
+with black velvet ribbon, and a white parasol, surmounted by a
+great, gleaming white satin bow, completed the effective costume,
+while the girl's pink cheeks and brilliant eyes told, as she
+walked away with her companion, that she was bound upon no
+unpleasant errand.
+
+"U-m!" ejaculated Sadie, with a wise nod, as she looked after the
+vanishing couple, "you two will make a perfectly stunning pair
+and--you have my unqualified blessing."
+
+The arrangements with Mrs. Hunt were soon completed, for Dr.
+Stanley was only too eager to secure her charming cottage upon any
+terms.
+
+When he spoke of references the lady cut him short by smilingly
+remarking that she needed no better vouchers than her friends, the
+Minturns. The family would leave the next morning, she said, and
+it would be perfectly agreeable, as far as she was concerned, to
+have Mrs. Seabrook take possession the following day, and it was
+so arranged.
+
+As they left the house Dr. Stanley glanced at his watch, then drew
+forth a time-table.
+
+"I have an hour or so before I need to leave for Boston," he
+observed, after studying it for a moment.
+
+"Oh! Dr. Stanley, do not say that!" Katherine exclaimed, in a tone
+of disappointment. "You surely will come and have lunch with Sadie
+and me, then I will order the horses and we will have a nice
+drive."
+
+"You tempt me sorely, Miss Minturn," the gentleman smilingly
+observed, as he met the appealing brown eyes, "but if I am to
+bring my sister and Dorrie here the day after to-morrow, I must
+get back to them tonight."
+
+"Yes, I can understand that you wish them to come as soon as
+possible," Katherine replied, and at once yielding her point; "and
+you all shall have plenty of drives before the summer is over.
+But, if you have an hour to spare, perhaps you would like to walk
+about a little; I can show you one or two fine views."
+
+"That will be very enjoyable," he eagerly responded, and they bent
+their steps towards a point which had become a favorite spot with
+Katherine.
+
+They had a pleasant ramble, talking of various matters, but
+without once referring to the subject of Christian Science, for
+Katherine purposely avoided it for several reasons.
+
+Finally they turned their faces towards the town, when, on
+rounding a curve in the road, they saw the figure of a man
+sauntering idly along some distance before them, although, at the
+time, neither bestowed more than a casual glance upon him.
+
+Presently, however, after again consulting his watch, Dr. Stanley
+said time was flying, and he must hasten to catch his train; so,
+quickening their steps, they soon overtook the stranger in front
+of them.
+
+He shot a curious look at them, as they were passing; then, to
+Katharine's amazement, doffed his hat with a courteous "How do you
+do, Miss Minturn? Ah! Stanley! a fine day."
+
+Without slackening his pace, the physician turned a pair of
+blazing eyes upon the man, as he, in duty bound, lifted his own
+hat; and they had passed him before Katherine could do more than
+bestow an astonished look upon him.
+
+Her companion turned and searched the puzzled face beside him.
+
+"Miss Minturn, do you know that young man?" he gravely inquired.
+
+She flashed a pair of startled eyes up at him, for his tone had a
+peculiar note in it.
+
+"I don't know. There was something familiar about him, and he
+seemed to recognize me," she began, doubtfully. "Why!" she went
+on, her face clearing, "I remember now. I was introduced to him
+last spring; his name is Willard, I believe. Oh! what does he want
+down here?" she concluded, with a sudden heartthrob of fear.
+
+"I do not know who may have introduced you," her companion
+remarked, "but I feel it my duty to tell you that he is a man
+whose acquaintance is very undesirable. It is true he belongs to a
+fine family, but he is their thorn in the flesh. He is a drunkard
+and a gambler, and his associates are among the most reprobate.
+Two or three times I have been called to bring him out of a state
+bordering upon delirium tremens. A physician is not supposed to
+give away the weaknesses of his patients," he interposed, in a
+deprecatory tone, "but under existing circumstances I feel
+justified in saying what I have said."
+
+"I had a suspicion that he might not be desirable," Katherine
+returned, and feeling deeply disturbed, for she was sure the man
+had followed Sadie for no good purpose. "I never met him but once,
+and then under rather peculiar circumstances. I thank you for
+telling me about him, for, although I may never see him again, it
+may prove a warning to some one whom I know who has seen more of
+him."
+
+They had almost reached the station by this time, and a warning
+whistle told them that the inward-bound train was near at hand.
+
+There was just time for Dr. Stanley to get his ticket, take a
+hurried leave of his fair companion, and then board his car,
+waving a last adieu.
+
+The girl stood watching the train as it rolled from the station, a
+soft radiance in her large brown eyes, a happy smile parting her
+red lips; while the physician bore away with him the mental
+picture of a dainty little lady in pale yellow, her beautiful face
+looking out at him from beneath a most becoming shade hat, one
+slender hand holding aloft a white ruffled parasol surmounted by a
+gleaming satin bow.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+MRS. SEABROOK TAKES A STAND.
+
+
+On her way back, after Dr. Stanley's departure, Katherine stopped
+at the house of a friend to make a call.
+
+She found her in a pavilion that flanked a corner of the veranda,
+and with her some other young people, all of whom were busily
+engaged with the new fad of basket making. They were just on the
+point of having light refreshments and heartily welcomed her to
+their circle, where the time slipped unheeded by until a clock,
+somewhere, striking the half hour after twelve, warned her that
+lunch at home would soon be served, and Sadie, even now, must be
+wondering what had become of her.
+
+But when she reached home the girl was nowhere to be found. It was
+after one o'clock and lunch waiting when she finally came slowly
+up the hill, which sloped to the beach behind the house, and
+Katherine was sure, from her flushed cheeks and reddened lids,
+that she had been crying.
+
+There was no opportunity for any confidential conversation during
+the meal, for the waitress was in the room, and, after making a
+very light repast, Sadie observed she "reckoned she'd go take a
+nap," and abruptly leaving the table, disappeared.
+
+Katharine was deeply thoughtful while finishing her lunch. "He has
+been here," she said to herself as she folded and slipped her
+napkin into its ring; then, with a resolute uplifting of her head,
+she followed Sadie upstairs and tapped upon her door. "Please
+excuse me for a little while, honey," came the response from
+within, but in unnatural tones.
+
+"But, Sadie, I am sure that something is troubling you; and,
+besides, I have an item of important news to tell you," her friend
+persisted.
+
+"Well, then, come," was the reluctant reply, and Katherine
+entered, to find the girl, as she had surmised, in tears.
+
+"I knew it, dear," she said, going to her side. "I was sure you
+were grieving about something, and I believe that Ned Willard is
+the cause of it. I saw him this morning when I was out with Dr.
+Stanley."
+
+"You did! He didn't say that he had seen you," exclaimed Sadie, in
+astonishment. Then, realizing how she had committed herself, she
+colored a vivid scarlet and fell to weeping afresh.
+
+"Ah! then he has been here!" said Katherine. "I thought so, when
+you came in to lunch." There was a moment of awkward silence, then
+she resumed: "Sadie, I do not wish to force your confidence, but I
+am going to tell you frankly what is on my mind, and I hope you
+will feel it is only my friendship for you that impels me to say
+it. I noticed, for a long time before school closed, that you were
+not yourself, that you were depressed and unhappy, and I was
+confident that Mr. Willard was the cause of it; that it was on his
+account you refused to go to Europe with your guardian. It even
+seemed to me that you were almost on the point of taking some
+step, doing something rash, from which you instinctively shrank,
+and when I asked you to come home with me you seized the
+opportunity as a loophole of escape. Of course, I have not been
+blind and I have suspected that certain letters which have come to
+you here were from Mr. Willard, and when I saw him to-day I feared
+he had followed you and would make you 'wretched' again. I did not
+know him at first, but he recognized me and spoke to me."
+
+She paused irresolute for a moment, then continued:
+
+"I am going to tell you all, Sadie, for I know it is right you
+should learn the truth. Dr. Stanley looked amazed when Mr. Willard
+spoke to me, and inquired, if I knew the man. I told him I had
+simply been introduced to him, and he said, 'He is a person whose
+acquaintance is very undesirable; he is a drunkard and a gambler;
+he belongs to a good family, but he is their thorn in the flesh,
+because of his dissolute ways.' Perhaps this sounds harsh, even
+unkind to you, but I am trying to do by you as I would by my own
+sister if I had one. I don't want you to spoil your life, Sadie."
+
+The girl had been growing more composed during Katherine's
+revelations, and when she concluded she sat up on the bed, threw
+her handkerchief away and faced her.
+
+"I am glad that you have told me this, Katherine," she said,
+drawing a deep breath, "and I have longed, ever since I came to
+this 'house of peace'--for it has been that to me--to tell you
+this secret that has been eating my heart out. I did continue to
+meet Ned on the sly, even after I promised you, last spring, that
+I would not. I wrote him, as I told you I would, about going to
+Mr. Farnsworth and doing the square thing; but he only laughed at
+me and still insisted upon seeing me the same as ever. I--I really
+am fond of him, honey," she confessed, a vivid blush suffusing her
+face. "Ned has good qualities, in spite of his faults. I know that
+he has been in the habit of drinking some, but we Southerners
+don't mind that as much as you Northerners do. I--I didn't know
+about his gambling--that seems dreadful. I know he thinks the
+world of me, for when my guardian said he was going to take me to
+Europe he was perfectly wild about it; so that is why I gave it
+up. Then he wanted--oh! Katherine! how can I tell you--"and the
+scarlet face went down upon the pillow again.
+
+"Yes, dear, I suspected it--I almost knew that he wanted you to
+marry him secretly, and you came very near consenting--would have
+taken the irrevocable step perhaps if I had not asked you to come
+with me," gently interposed her friend.
+
+"Katherine! What made you think that?" and the girl started up
+again, amazed.
+
+"Oh! several things; your fits of abstraction, your
+'homesickness,' your 'wretchedness,' and the remarkable reaction
+that followed your acceptance of my invitation."
+
+"Well, honey, it was true, and I shall always love you for saving
+me from that, for I knew it was wrong. I was beginning to get my
+eyes open a little, though, and to feel that Ned should not have
+asked me to marry him in any such way; but I hardly knew which way
+to turn," Sadie confessed, with downcast eyes.
+
+"Of course, I am glad to have you with me; but perhaps going to
+Europe would have been the better plan. It would have taken you
+out of his way," Katherine thoughtfully observed.
+
+"I couldn't leave--I--I didn't want to," faltered her companion,
+and Katherine sighed as she saw that there was an even stronger
+attachment here than she had suspected.
+
+"He has been trying to persuade me to--to go away with him ever
+since I came here," Sadie resumed, and evidently determined to
+keep nothing back; "and to-day he came upon me suddenly while you
+were away, and he wasn't very kind"--her lips quivered painfully
+over those last words; "but," she presently went on, "since I have
+been here many things have begun to seem different to me, and I
+had made up my mind to go back to school and do my very best next
+year; but if Ned is going to keep on bothering me like this, I
+shall be wretched."
+
+"If he comes again I think we will have to let papa deal with
+him," said Katherine, gravely.
+
+"Oh! I wouldn't have your father or mother know anything about it
+for the world," cried Sadie, in distress. "I begin to feel ashamed
+of the whole affair myself, and I would not marry him on the sly
+now for anything. But he claims that I am pledged to him, and says
+he will make trouble for me if I try to dodge him," and the girl
+nervously twisted a diamond ring; which she wore on the first
+finger of her left hand.
+
+"There is nothing to prevent you from releasing yourself from any
+such rash pledge if you choose to do so," said Katharine. Then she
+asked: "Is that your engagement ring, dear?"
+
+"Yes; but I haven't dared to wear it on the right finger, for I
+didn't want anyone to know," she admitted, with a blush of shame.
+
+Katherine leaned forward and smiled fondly into her eyes.
+
+"You understand, I am sure, that I do not wish to meddle in an
+affair of this kind; but if you will allow me. I would advise you
+to return that ring at once. Tell Mr. Willard that you revoke your
+promise to him, and that henceforth he is to leave you unmolested.
+Think it over, Sadie, and I am sure your own good judgment will
+tell you this would be the wiser course. Now I will leave you to
+take your nap, for I think you need it," and, kissing her softly,
+she left the room.
+
+The next morning a great burden rolled from her heart when she saw
+Sadie hand the postman a letter and a small package on which there
+was a special delivery stamp, and she earnestly hoped that this
+step in the right direction would forever end the disagreeable
+affair.
+
+The following day the Seabrooks arrived, and our "brown-eyed
+lassie" was very happy to have so many of her school friends
+around her; but it was impossible not to see how pale and worn
+Mrs. Seabrook looked, and that Dorrie had failed not a little.
+
+After a few days, however, the child appeared to improve a trifle,
+and everybody else began to look refreshed and hopeful once more.
+Dr. Stanley devoted the greater portion of his time to her, and
+she was never so happy as when he wheeled her to some point where
+she could have an unobstructed view of the ocean and watch the
+foam-crested waves as they broke upon the rocks on the shore.
+
+At times, when she was sleeping or being cared for by the ever-
+faithful Alice, the physician and his sister might have been found
+at the Minturn home, where many a pleasant hour was spent on its
+broad verandas, and where the subject of Christian Science was
+often the theme of conversation, and Mrs. Minturn was plied with
+numerous questions by Miss Reynolds and the doctor also.
+
+Mrs. Seabrook rarely joined in these discussions, but Katherine
+observed that she was a very attentive listener.
+
+Miss Reynolds had become an enthusiastic student; in fact, she was
+having class instruction under Mrs. Minturn, and did not hesitate
+to avow her full acceptance of its teachings.
+
+Dr. Stanley maintained, at first, a very conservative attitude;
+but it was apparent that he had read more on the subject than he
+was ready to admit.
+
+Once he quoted a passage from "Unity of Good" [Footnote: By Mary
+Baker G. Eddy] and asked Mrs. Minturn to explain it, whereupon
+Katherine bent a look of surprise on him.
+
+He caught her glance, flushed slightly, then smiled.
+
+"Yes, Miss Minturn," he said, "after glancing at your book, that
+day when we met under the beech tree, I felt a curiosity to know
+more of what it contained, so bought a copy and--yes--read it
+through three times."
+
+"Have you read 'Science and Health'?" inquired Mrs. Minturn.
+
+"Yes, twice, and 'Miscellaneous Writings' [Footnote: By Mary Baker
+G. Eddy] once. What do you think of such a confession as that from
+a doubly dyed M.D.?" he concluded, with heightened color and
+stealing a side glance at his sister.
+
+"I should say you are getting on pretty well," replied his
+hostess.
+
+"No; I am not getting on at all," he asserted, with an
+uncomfortable shrug. "I don't understand them and I find I am at
+cross-purposes all the time."
+
+"Yes, I can comprehend that, if you are trying to mix materia
+medica and Science; you will have to drop one or the other, or
+still be at 'cross-purposes,'" returned the lady.
+
+The gentleman made no reply, and the subject was changed.
+
+"Well, Phillip, you electrified me this afternoon!" Mrs. Seabrook
+observed, when, later, they were by themselves at home.
+
+"Why? Because of the books I confessed to having read?"
+
+"Yes; when did you begin to be so interested in Christian
+Science?"
+
+"When that child was healed of seasickness on shipboard."
+
+"And--are you going to adopt it?"
+
+"I don't know, Emelie. I haven't reached that point yet."
+
+"I should hope not after all your years of study and practice, to
+say nothing about the expense involved," returned his sister, in a
+tone of disapproval, for she was exceedingly proud of her
+successful brother. "Are you becoming dissatisfied with your
+profession, Phillip?" she asked, after a moment.
+
+"When I encounter a case like Dorrie's I am dissatisfied with it,"
+he admitted, with a quiver of his mobile lips. "When I am called
+to a case that responds quickly to treatment, I feel all the old
+enthusiasm tingling within me. Then, again, when I attend our
+medical associations and find the faculty discarding" methods and
+remedies which were once pronounced 'wonderful discoveries,' and
+substituting something new or something that had years ago been
+discarded, I become disgusted, and declare there is no science in
+materia medica; that it is but 'a bundle of speculative theories,'
+as Mrs. Eddy puts it in her startling chapter on 'Medicine.'"
+[Footnote: "Science and Health," page 149.]
+
+"What rank heresy, Phil!" exclaimed his sister, with a laugh.
+
+"I know it, and I have been in a very uncomfortable state of
+'mental chemicalization'--which is another pat phrase coined by
+that same remarkable woman--over it for some time."
+
+"Dear me! what is the world coming to with its ever-changing
+creeds, doctrines and opinions? One begins to feel that there is
+no really solid foundation to anything," replied Mrs. Seabrook,
+with a troubled brow. "Phillip!"--with a start and a sudden
+blanching of her face--"are you losing faith in your treatment of
+Dorothy?"
+
+"I should have all faith if she were improving under it," he
+returned, moodily.
+
+"But she isn't! You are seeing that as well as I," and the
+mother's voice broke with sudden anguish. "Oh, if you are losing
+faith I shall know there is no hope."
+
+"Don't, Emelie," pleaded her brother; "I really am hoping much
+from this change--"
+
+"Ah! that is equivalent to saying that you have exhausted your
+methods--that our only hope now is in a salubrious atmosphere,
+etc. It has been the same story, over and over," she wailed.
+"Every physician we have had--his resources having failed--has
+suggested 'change of air and scene,' and 'hoped that nature would
+do the rest.' What do you doctors mean by that? What is 'nature'?"
+she concluded, almost wildly.
+
+"I see, Emelie, you feel that is a way of begging the question to
+secure release from a doubtful position," the man returned, sadly.
+"Well"--with a sigh--"I am forced to admit that none of our
+remedies are infallible. But, it should not be so," he went on,
+thoughtfully, "For years I have felt it when disease has baffled
+me; there should be a panacea--a universal remedy, provided by an
+all-wise Creator for suffering humanity; but, ah! to find it!"
+
+At those words Mrs. Seabrook started and looked up quickly.
+
+"Have you those books--that you mentioned to-day--with you?" she
+inquired.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"I want to read them."
+
+"Will would never forgive me for putting them into your hands."
+
+Mrs. Seabrook sat suddenly erect.
+
+"I am not a child that I must have my reading selected for me,"
+she retorted, spiritedly. "But, I can buy them."
+
+"Dear, I wouldn't force you to that expense to gain your point,"
+said her brother, as he tenderly laid his arm around her
+shoulders. "They are in my trunk, and you can have them whenever
+you wish. But you are tired--go to bed now, and I hope you will
+have a good night's rest."
+
+"I am afraid I have seemed cross and out of sorts, Phil. Perhaps I
+also am in a state of 'mental chemicalization,'" she said, with a
+faint smile that ended in a sob; "but, indeed, my heart is very
+sore. I shall read your books, and, if they appeal to me, I--shall
+have Christian Science treatment for my child," and there was a
+ring of something very like defiance in her voice which smote
+strangely on her brother's ear; for Emelie Seabrook had ever been
+regarded as one of the gentlest and least self-willed of women.
+
+But the reading of the books was postponed, for Dorrie began to
+droop again, and the faithful mother could scarcely be persuaded
+to leave her even for necessary food and sleep. Mrs. Minturn,
+Katherine and Sadie were all tireless in their efforts to do
+something to lighten her burdens. Many a delicacy found its way to
+the cottage to tempt the capricious appetite of the child;
+interesting incidents were treasured to relate to her, and many
+devices employed to shorten the weary hours.
+
+But there came a time that tried them all, for, in spite of the
+greatest care and watchfulness, the girl contracted a sudden and
+violent cold, and became so seriously ill that Dr. Stanley--though
+he gave no sign of his fears--felt that the end was very near.
+
+For three days he battled fiercely with the seeming destroyer,
+while her suffering drove them all to the verge of despair.
+
+At sunset of the third day, while attempting to change her
+position, hoping to make her more comfortable, she suddenly lapsed
+into a semi-conscious state from which they could not arouse her.
+When this condition had lasted for upwards of half an hour Mrs.
+Seabrook turned despairingly to her brother.
+
+"Can you do nothing, Phillip?" she asked.
+
+"I am afraid not, Emelie, except to continue giving the stimulants
+to try to keep the spark of life a little longer," he returned
+with white lips.
+
+His sister caught her breath sharply.
+
+"Then--will you give her up to--Mrs. Minturn?" she cried,
+hoarsely.
+
+He bent a look of surprised inquiry upon her.
+
+"I am going to try it," she went on, still in that unnatural tone.
+"I am going to try to save my child, and--I do not care who says
+'no.'"
+
+Phillip Stanley went to her, took her white face between his hands
+and kissed her tenderly, as he said:
+
+"Very well, Emelie, I will go at once for her, and, from my soul,
+I am glad that you have taken this stand."
+
+He hurried from the house and went with all speed to the Minturn
+mansion. He found Mrs. Minturn on the veranda, Katherine and her
+guests having gone for a walk.
+
+"Will you come with me?" he asked. "You are needed at once." He
+briefly explained the situation to her, and in less than five
+minutes they were both at Dorothy's bedside.
+
+"Oh, can you do anything for her?" helplessly moaned the heart-
+broken mother as the woman entered the room.
+
+"Dear heart, God is our refuge. He is the 'strength of our life';
+of whom shall we be afraid?" Mrs. Minturn quoted in calm, sweet
+tones, as she slipped a reassuring arm around Mrs. Seabrook's
+waist; and, standing thus, she repeated the ninety-first psalm
+through to the end; then dropping her face upon her hand, she
+treated silently for ten minutes or more.
+
+Meantime Dorothy's half-opened lids had gently closed, hiding the
+sightless eyes, and she lay almost breathless upon her pillows.
+
+Dr. Stanley, alertly observant of every change, believed it was
+the end; but, having relinquished his patient, knowing that he was
+absolutely helpless at this supreme moment, he made no sign.
+
+Presently Mrs. Minturn broke the silence.
+
+"Will you please leave me alone with her for a while?" she asked.
+
+"Oh, I cannot leave my child!" panted Mrs. Seabrook, rebelliously.
+
+"She is in our Father's care--our trust is in Him," Mrs. Minturn
+gently returned. "Go into the next room and lie down. I promise to
+call you if there is the slightest need, and, believe me, I ask
+only what is best."
+
+Dr. Stanley took his sister by the hand and led her unresistingly
+from the room. He made her go to an adjoining chamber and lie upon
+a couch, then seated himself beside her.
+
+To his amazement her tense form almost instantly relaxed and in
+twenty minutes she was asleep.
+
+He sat there with his head bowed upon his hands for nearly two
+hours, thinking as he had seldom thought during his whole life. At
+the end of that time the door of Dorothy's room was noiselessly
+opened and Mrs. Minturn beckoned to him.
+
+He went to her--softly closing to but not latching the door of his
+sister's room--to ascertain what she wanted, but with fear and
+trembling.
+
+"Please get me a glass of warm milk," she said to him.
+
+"There is some brandy--" he began.
+
+"No; milk, if you please," she returned, and disappeared within
+the room.
+
+A few minutes later he handed the glass in to her and the door was
+shut again.
+
+Another endless hour and a half he passed sitting upon a balcony
+that opened off the same floor, waiting--waiting for he knew not
+what.
+
+Then Mrs. Minturn came to him with the empty tumbler in her hand.
+
+"Have it filled again, please," she said.
+
+"Is it for--Dorothy?"
+
+"Yes; she has taken what you brought before and asked for more."
+
+"Asked!" and in spite of his professional self-poise the man's
+heart bounded into his throat.
+
+"Yes, she is awake; is perfectly conscious and free from pain,
+though weak, to sense; but we know that God is omnipresent
+strength," Mrs. Minturn replied, with an assurance that proved to
+him she was confidently resting upon the Rock of Ages, and which
+also inspired him with hope.
+
+When he returned with the milk he longed to go in and see for
+himself how the child was progressing, but Mrs. Minturn stood in
+the aperture of the half-opened door, and he instinctively knew
+that his presence was not desired.
+
+As she took the glass from him she inquired:
+
+"Is Mrs. Seabrook sleeping?"
+
+"I think so--she was when I left her."
+
+"Pray let her rest," said his companion; "but if she should wake
+tell her that Dorrie is more comfortable; that I shall remain with
+her all night and do not wish to be disturbed. And you, Dr.
+Stanley"--with gentle authority--"you must try to rest also; you
+may safely trust the child to God, and with me as His sentinel,
+for she is doing well. But first, if you will slip over to the
+house and ask Katherine to send my night-wrapper I can make myself
+more comfortable; just drop it outside the door, then go to bed
+and 'be not faithless but believing,' Good-night."
+
+She softly closed the door, and the man went obediently to do her
+bidding; while, "after the storm there was a great calm" in his
+heart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS.
+
+
+Phillip Stanley sped across the street to do his errand and
+inquired for Katherine.
+
+She heard his voice and went directly to him when he told her what
+her mother had just said about Dorrie, and the light that leaped
+into her great brown eyes inspired him with fresh hope.
+
+"Ah! mamma is holding her in the 'secret place,' and we know she
+is safe," she said, in a reverent tone.
+
+She quickly brought the wrapper; then, with a brief handclasp, he
+bade her "good-night" and retraced his steps.
+
+Before going upstairs he sought the kitchen, where the cook was
+lingering, thinking something might be needed, and ordered a
+dainty lunch prepared; then, taking both tray and garment, he left
+them at Dorrie's door and passed on to the next room to find his
+sister just waking.
+
+"Phillip!" she cried, starting up, "I have been asleep!"
+
+"Yes, Emelie, for more than three hours, I am glad to say."
+
+"Oh, how inconsiderate of me! And--Dorrie?" she questioned, in a
+quavering voice.
+
+"Is more comfortable. She has been awake twice, and had two
+glasses of milk," replied her brother, as he laid a gentle, but
+restraining hand upon her shoulder, for she was on the point of
+rising.
+
+She regarded him wonderingly.
+
+"Phillip! I can't believe it! I must go to her," she said, almost
+breathless.
+
+"No; Mrs. Minturn is going to remain all night. She says she is
+not to be disturbed, and we must respect her wishes," said Dr.
+Stanley, authoritatively. "She will call you if you are needed,
+but says she wants us both to rest, if possible. Now lie down
+again, dear, and I will sit in the Morris chair in the hall, to be
+near if you wish to speak to me."
+
+Mrs. Seabrook sat irresolute a moment, her eyes anxious and
+yearning.
+
+"Emelie, you have voluntarily given Dorrie into God's hands; now
+prove that you trust Him," her companion gravely admonished.
+
+She looked up at him and smiled.
+
+"Yes, I will; and I believe that 'His hand is not shortened that
+it cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear,'" she
+replied, and immediately lay back upon her pillow.
+
+Her brother covered her with a shawl, then left her with a
+thankful heart, for he knew she was sadly in need of rest.
+
+Going to his room, he secured his copy of "Science and Health,"
+and, retracing his steps, settled himself to read by the table in
+the hall, which was often used as a sitting room.
+
+As he sat down he observed that Mrs. Minturn's wrapper and the
+tray had disappeared; then he became absorbed in his book.
+
+The next he knew a hand was laid softly on his shoulder, and,
+starting erect, he saw that a new day was just breaking and Mrs.
+Minturn standing beside him, looking as fresh and serene as if she
+had just come from hours of sweet repose instead of from a long
+night's vigil.
+
+"Dorrie is hungry," she said, "and I think it would be well if you
+would arouse one of the maids and have something nice prepared for
+her."
+
+"I will; what shall it be?" said the man, springing nimbly to his
+feet, but scarcely able to credit his ears.
+
+"A dropped egg and a slice of toast, with a glass of milk, will
+perhaps be forthcoming as quickly as any-thing--"
+
+"Wait, Phil--don't call anyone. I will get it," interposed Mrs.
+Seabrook's voice, just behind them. "Dorrie hungry!" she added,
+wonderingly. She had heard Mrs. Minturn's request, and hurried out
+to convince herself that she was not dreaming.
+
+"Yes, so she says," said Mrs. Minturn, smiling serenely into the
+questioning eyes, "and when her breakfast is ready I think she
+will prove the truth of her words to you."
+
+Away sped the mother, marveling at what she had heard, but with a
+hymn of praise thrilling her heart; and, ten minutes later, as she
+moved lightly over the stairs again, she heard a sweet, though
+weak, voice saying:
+
+"Listen, Mrs. Minturn!--just hear the birds sing!"
+
+Phillip Stanley heard it also, as he sat in the hall, his head
+bowed upon his hands, while great tears rolled over his cheeks and
+dropped unheeded on the floor; and, as the feathered choristers
+without sweetly chirped their tuneful matins, his grateful heart
+responded with reverent joy--"Glory to God in the highest."
+
+As Mrs. Seabrook entered Dorrie's room and saw the change in the
+loved face--still very thin and white, it is true, but with a look
+of peace on the brow, the eyes bright, the pale lips wreathed with
+smiles--her composure well-nigh forsook her.
+
+"Mamma, hear the birds!--and it isn't sunrise yet!" she said
+again, as her mother approached her.
+
+"Yes, dear; but I hear what is far sweeter music to me," the woman
+replied, making a huge effort at self-control. "So you are hungry,
+Dorrie!" she added, bending to kiss the lips uplifted to greet
+her.
+
+"Yes, really and truly hungry, and so happy; for my cold and the
+pain are all gone. How kind of Mrs. Minturn to stay with me! Did
+you sleep, mamma?"
+
+"Like a kitten, dear. I think we have a great deal to thank Mrs.
+Minturn for," said Mrs. Seabrook, bending a grateful look upon her
+friend.
+
+"That tastes good," Dorrie observed, as she partook, with evident
+relish, of the delicately prepared egg, "and how nicely you do
+toast bread! It looks almost like gold."
+
+She was silent a moment, then resumed:
+
+"Mamma, I wish you could have heard how beautifully Mrs. Minturn
+talked to me, last night, every time I awoke; and repeated such
+lovely things from the Bible. Of course, I have heard them before,
+but, somehow, they sound different as she says them."
+
+"And you begin to see that God never made or intended anyone to be
+sick or suffer; that it is your right to be well and strong. You
+will try to think of that often to-day, will you not, Dorothy?"
+said Mrs. Minturn, as she lifted the small hand near her, to find
+no fever but a gentle moisture in the palm, instead.
+
+"Yes, and I've a better idea now of what Miss Katherine once said
+about God--that He is Mind and perfect, and if we would let this
+perfect Mind rule us we would be well. What was that you read me
+from your little book about it feeding the body?" the girl
+earnestly inquired.
+
+"'Mind constantly feeds the body with supernal freshness and
+fairness,'" [Footnote: "Science and Health," page 248.] quoted
+Mrs. Minturn.
+
+"Yes, that was it; if that is true, people should never be sick,"
+said Dorothy, with a little sigh. "No, and they would not be if
+they only knew how to let the divine Mind control them. You are
+going to learn how, Dorothy, and so find yourself growing strong
+and well with every day," said Mrs. Minturn, with a cheery smile.
+
+"I wish I knew more about it," Dorothy wistfully observed. "Mamma,
+why cannot we have a book like Mrs. Minturn's?"
+
+"We will have, dear," was the prompt response. "Have you had
+enough?"--as the girl gently put away the half-eaten slice of
+toast.
+
+"Yes, when I have had the milk." She drank it all and then lay
+back, smiling contentedly. "It is so nice not to have any pain,"
+she added; "it makes me love everybody. Ha! Uncle Phil"--for the
+man was peering in at the door, unable to keep away a moment
+longer--"come here and I will kiss you 'good-morning.'"
+
+Mrs. Seabrook could bear no more and stole away with her tray to
+hide the tears she could no longer restrain.
+
+Mrs. Minturn followed her.
+
+"I am going now," she said, "but I shall continue to work for
+Dorrie all day, at intervals, and will run over now and then. All
+is going well, so 'be not afraid, only believe.'"
+
+"How can I ever express what is in my heart?" faltered Mrs.
+Seabrook, tears raining over her face.
+
+"You do not need to try, for I know it all, having once been
+almost where Dorrie seemed to be last night," her friend returned.
+"But do not make a marvel of it--just know that God's ways are
+'divinely natural,' and that it is unnatural for anything but
+health and harmony to exist in His universe. I have left my book,
+and you can read to her if she expresses a wish to have you do
+so."
+
+There were very grateful, reverent hearts in the Hunt cottage that
+day and during the days that followed, for Dorothy continued to
+improve rapidly and steadily, and there was no return of the old
+pain that had made life so wretched for her for years.
+
+The fourth day after her long night-watch Mrs. Minturn sent a
+roomy carriage--the back seat piled with down coverlids--"to take
+them all for a drive."
+
+Dr. Stanley, still governed largely by the "old thought," would
+have vetoed such a suggestion under different circumstances, and
+claimed that the child was still too weak to attempt anything of
+the kind. But he felt that he, himself, was now under orders, and
+meekly refrained from even expressing an opinion.
+
+So they thankfully accepted their neighbor's kindness, and when he
+saw Dorrie's delight in being once more out of doors, when he met
+her dancing eyes and noted the faint color coming into her cheeks
+and lips, and every day realized that she was getting stronger,
+something within seemed to tell him that she would yet be well;
+and--figuratively speaking--he reverently took off his materia
+medica hat to Mrs. Minturn and secretly registered the vow of Ruth
+to Naomi--"Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God."
+
+One evening, after Dorothy was in bed and asleep, he came upon his
+sister in the upper hall reading "Science and Health," and he
+smiled, for since the night of their great trial she had literally
+devoured the book every spare moment she could get.
+
+"Have you written Will anything about our recent experiences?" he
+inquired, as she glanced up at him.
+
+"No; and I am not going to--just yet. Of course, I have written
+him," she hastened to add, "but I have said nothing about Dorrie,
+except that she is improving. I think"--thoughtfully--"I will make
+'open confession' by another week, for I had a talk with Mrs.
+Minturn, this afternoon, and she feels that it is hardly fair,
+that she is not quite justified to go on with the treatment
+without his consent."
+
+"Suppose he should still object?" suggested Dr. Stanley.
+
+"Oh, he will not--he cannot when he learns the truth and of the
+great change in her; that the old pain is gone and she sleeps the
+whole night through," earnestly returned Mrs. Seabrook, but
+flushing hotly, for she had been secretly dreading to tell her
+husband of the responsibility she had assumed.
+
+"Well, when you are ready to write let me know, for I also shall
+have something to say to him," said her brother, gravely.
+
+A week later two voluminous letters, charged with matter of
+serious import, went sailing over the ocean on their way to Paris,
+where it was expected they would find Prof. Seabrook, who, having
+turned his face home-ward, would spend the last week of August
+there.
+
+Each was characteristic of the writer; the mother's touchingly
+pathetic in describing the "valley of the shadow" through which
+they had passed, and glowing with love and gratitude to God in
+view of the present hopeful and peaceful conditions; closing with
+an earnest, even piteous, appeal for her husband's unqualified
+consent to continue Christian Science treatment.
+
+The young physician was no less earnest in laying the case before
+his brother-in-law, but rather more logical and philosophical in
+discussing it, as well as very positive in his deductions. In
+conclusion he wrote:
+
+"Perhaps you may be surprised to learn that I have been reading up
+on this subject during the last few months; but, as I have also
+been practicing medicine, at the same time, the mental conflict
+has been something indescribable. I told myself, in my presumption
+and egotism, that if there was healing power in Christian Science
+I would look into it and utilize it in connection with my own
+methods. The result has been a state of perpetual fizz--I know no
+better word to describe it; and now, after our recent experience,
+I find myself willing to sit humbly at the feet of higher
+authority and learn of a better and more efficacious healing art
+than I know of at present. For, I tell you in plain terms, Dorothy
+was dying--she was past all human aid when that blessed woman
+came, like an angel of peace, to us and in one night brought back
+our darling from the border of the unseen world. She, with her
+understanding of Christian Science, saved her. There can be no
+doubt on that point, and the child is better than I have ever seen
+her since her accident. There has been no return of pain, and you
+can imagine what that means to us all. She sleeps well, and has a
+healthy, normal appetite. But Mrs. Minturn is very conscientious--
+says she cannot work in a divided household, and must have your
+approval, if she is to go on with the good work. Now, Will, be a
+man; put your prejudices away on some upper shelf--or, better
+still, cast them to the winds; pocket your ecclesiastical and
+intellectual pride, and give Dorrie a chance. I am convinced
+'there is more in this philosophy than we have ever dreamed of,'
+and I am going to know more about it. Cable just two words--'go
+on'--if you are willing, and, at the rate she is going on now,
+I'll wager a hat against a cane that you won't know your own
+daughter when you arrive. Bring the cane, please! In the same
+spirit of good fellowship as ever. "Affectionately yours, "PHIL."
+
+There was a season of anxious, yet blessed, waiting after these
+letters were dispatched. Blessed for Dorothy, who was gaining
+every hour, and happy as the day was long; anxious for Mrs.
+Seabrook, who could not quite divest herself of the fear of her
+husband's disapproval, even though Mrs. Minturn was constantly
+admonishing, "Let not your heart be troubled," and working to
+demonstrate that there could be no opposition to Truth and that
+the work, so well begun, could not be hindered by bigotry, pride
+or self-will.
+
+At last, one morning there came a cable message--just two words,
+as Phillip Stanley had requested, but not what he had asked for.
+
+"'Sail to-day,'" Mrs. Seabrook read aloud from the yellow slip,
+and lost color as she looked anxiously into her brother's eyes and
+questioned:
+
+"What shall we do?"
+
+"We will ask Mrs. Minturn," he gravely replied.
+
+So the message was taken to her, and after a thoughtful silence
+she turned with her serene smile to the waiting mother.
+
+"We will go on," she said. "The question is ignored, and silence
+gives consent until we have more definite instructions."
+
+And go on they did, all working together, praying, reading,
+trusting, while they waited for the white-winged vessel and the
+traveler that were speeding towards them.
+
+Three days later, a black bordered envelope was handed Katherine.
+
+"It has no more power than you give it, dearie," observed her
+mother, who saw that she did not at once open it.
+
+The girl thanked her with a smile, and instantly broke the seal.
+
+"It is from Jennie Wild, mamma," she said, as she turned to the
+signature on the last page. Then she read aloud:
+
+"DEAR MISS MINTURN: Auntie is gone, and it was all so sudden and
+awful I cannot realize it even yet. She just went to sleep last
+Thursday, in her chair, and never woke up. She was so dear--so
+dear, and I loved her with all my heart, and it seems to take
+everything out of the world for me, for her going leaves me alone,
+with no one to love, or have a kindred feeling for me. I had
+planned to do such great things for her when I should leave
+school, so that she need not work every minute to support me, and
+now I can do nothing and have been a burden to her all these
+years. It is dreadful to be a 'stray waif,' your identity lost,
+and your only friend swept out of the world without a moment's
+warning.
+
+"Well, I am young and strong--I can work, and sometime, perhaps, I
+shall understand why I am here--what special niche I am to fill;
+though at present nothing but a blank wall seems to loom up before
+me. Of course, this means I am not going back to Hilton, for
+auntie's annuity ceased when she went; the quarterly remittance
+came the day before, so there was enough, and a little more, to
+take care of her. I am going, tomorrow, to Jerome's, to see if I
+can get a place in the store. I want to stay here because, now and
+then, I can see you, the Seabrooks, and some of the other girls
+who have been good to me. Please write to me, dear Miss Minturn. I
+thought of you first in my trouble, for you always have something
+so comforting to say when one is unhappy. Do you know anything
+about Prof, and Mrs. Seabrook, or how Dorothy is? "Lovingly yours,
+"JENNIE WILD."
+
+There was a long silence, after Katherine finished reading this
+epistle, during which both mother and daughter were absorbed in
+thought. They were alone, for Miss Reynolds had left a few days
+previous and Sadie had gone to Boston to do some shopping.
+
+"Mamma," said Katherine, at length, breaking the silence, "there
+is Grandma Minturn's legacy."
+
+Mrs. Minturn lifted a bewildered look to her.
+
+"Ah!" she said, the next moment, as she caught her meaning, "I
+understand; you want to use it for Jennie."
+
+"Yes; it is too bad for her education to be stopped. She is a
+conscientious student, in spite of her pranks, and I cannot endure
+the thought of her going into a dry-goods store as a clerk,"
+Katherine replied.
+
+"But the will states that the legacy is to be used for 'a European
+tour, or a wedding trousseau, or--'"
+
+"I know; but, mamma, I've had my European tour with you--such a
+lovely one, too!" Katherine interposed; "while as for the
+trousseau"--this with a faint smile--"that is a possible need so
+far away in the dim distance as to be absolutely invisible at
+present. So if you will let me use the money for Jennie I shall be
+happy, and I am sure it will be 'bread' well 'cast upon the
+waters.'"
+
+"Dear heart!" replied her mother, in a voice that was not quite
+steady, "it is a lovely thought; but we cannot decide so important
+a matter without consulting your father. If he approves you have
+my hearty sanction."'
+
+John Minturn, big-hearted, whole-souled, and always ready to lend
+a helping hand to a needy brother or sister, was deeply touched by
+Katherine's generosity.
+
+"Well, 'my girlie,' I guess you can do about as you have a mind to
+with grandma's legacy," he said, when she unfolded her plan to
+him. "To be sure she stated what it might be used for, but I think
+she meant you to get what you most wanted with it. You've had the
+trip abroad, as you say, and"--with a twinkle in his eyes that
+brought the color to her cheeks--"when the wedding finery is
+needed--which I hope won't be for a long time yet--I imagine it
+will promptly be forthcoming."
+
+"Thank you, papa. I wonder if any other girl manages to get her
+own way as often as I do!" said the happy maiden, as she gave his
+ear a playful tweak and supplemented it with a kiss on his lips.
+
+"Well, Miss Philanthropy, for once I'll concede that it is an
+irresistible 'way,'" he retorted, then added more seriously: "And
+I think we will insist that Miss Wild shall return to Hilton as a
+regular student and have no outside duties to handicap her in the
+race, for the next three years."
+
+"That was my own thought, too, papa; but"--with a look of
+perplexity--"there are nearly three weeks before school opens, and
+I am wondering what she will do with herself during that time."
+
+"Oh, that is easily managed; tell her to board with some nice
+family, and be getting her finery in order. Judging from what is
+going on upstairs, she'll need a few stitches taken as well as
+some other people whom I know," returned the man, with a chuckle;
+for, unlike the majority of his kind, he took a deep interest in
+the apparel of his wife and daughter, especially in the "pretty
+nothings" which add so much to the tout ensemble.
+
+But upon confiding her plans to Mrs. Seabrook, that lady at once
+vetoed the boarding proposition.
+
+"Tell Jennie to go directly to the seminary and remain with the
+matron and maids, who will be there next Monday to begin to put
+the house in order," she had said. "And--as she knows where
+everything belongs--if she will oversee our rooms put to rights I
+shall feel that I need not hurry back."
+
+So, with a happy heart, Katherine wrote immediately to her
+protegee a loving, tender letter, which also contained sympathetic
+messages from all her other friends. Then, with great tact, she
+unfolded her own plans and wishes regarding her future, and in
+conclusion said:
+
+"Jennie, dear, never again say that you are a 'stray waif,' for
+nothing ever goes astray in God's universe. Your 'identity' is not
+'lost,' for you are God's child, and that child can never be
+deprived of her birthright, nor of any good thing necessary to her
+happiness or well-being. Neither have you 'been deprived of your
+only friend,' nor has she been swept beyond the focus of your
+love, or you of hers. The bond that existed between you can never
+be broken, for it was, and still is, the reflection of divine Love
+that is omnipresent. I am looking forward to our reunion, and
+shall think of you often as the days slip by.
+
+"With dear love,  KATHERINE MINTURN."
+
+The response which Katherine received to the above letter drew
+tears from her eyes, for Jennie's full heart overflowed most
+touchingly, showing a depth of grateful appreciation that did her
+much credit.
+
+While still grieving for her "dear auntie," she could not restrain
+her joy, in view of the great boon of going back to school, and
+wrote of it:
+
+"I did not think anything could make me so happy again, and I can
+never tell you how I love you for it. I will improve every minute.
+I will make you all proud of me. No one shall ever have cause to
+call me 'Wild Jennie' again, and when I graduate and get to
+teaching I shall pay you back every penny it has cost to fit me
+for it."
+
+One evening, after dinner, the Minturns went, with some friends
+who were visiting them, to Katherine's favorite outlook, and, as
+they were passing the Hunt cottage they saw Dr. Stanley on the
+porch and invited him to join them. The sun was just setting as
+they reached their point of observation, where the view,
+illuminated by the vivid crimson and gold in the western sky, was
+impressive and magnificent beyond description.
+
+They lingered long, as if loath to leave the enchanting prospect;
+but, as the softer shades of twilight began to steal gently like a
+veil of gauze over the scene, they turned their faces homeward
+once more.
+
+As she was on the point of following, Katherine found Dr. Stanley
+tarrying beside her.
+
+"Will you wait a moment?" he inquired, in a low voice, which
+impressed her as sounding not quite natural.
+
+She paused with an inquiring look, and he led her back towards the
+edge of the bluff.
+
+"Miss Minturn, do you see a vessel far out at sea?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, it is a--"
+
+"Pardon me, please," he interposed; "it is a five-masted schooner,
+with sails all set, is it not?"
+
+"Why, yes," she began, turning to him in surprise, to find him
+looking off at the vessel, his right eye covered with one hand.
+
+For a moment she could not speak. Then her face grew luminous with
+a great joy as she realized what it meant.
+
+"Oh!" she breathed, softly.
+
+"Yes, I can see," he said. "The sight has been slowly coming
+during the last month, and I have dimly discerned things around
+me. Yesterday Mrs. Minturn made a startling statement regarding
+sight being 'spiritual perception'--that 'it is not dependent upon
+the physical eye, the optic nerves, etc., but upon Mind, the all-
+seeing God,' and I caught a glimpse of something I had not
+comprehended before. To-day I found I could read my 'Science and
+Health' clearly, with both eyes; but I have not spoken of it to
+anyone until now--'twas you who first assured me that such a boon
+could be conferred. Miss Minturn"--he removed his hat and bowed
+his head reverently--"all honor to the 'Science of sciences' and
+to her, the inspired messenger through whom it has been given to a
+needy world."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+THE TRAVELER RETURNS.
+
+
+One evening Sadie was sitting by herself upon the veranda that
+overlooked the ocean, and where she was watching a glorious full
+moon which seemed to be rolling straight out of the glimmering sea
+into the cloudless vault above. It was unusual for her to be
+alone, but Mrs. Minturn had slipped away for a chat with Mrs.
+Seabrook, and Katherine, at the invitation of Dr. Stanley, had
+gone for a walk to the library in search of an interesting book
+for Dorothy.
+
+Sadie had changed much during her summer with her friends. She had
+grown more thoughtful, more self-poised, more orderly and
+systematic in her ways; while, it goes without saying, she had
+become deeply attached to every member of the family.
+
+Just now she was absorbed in a mental discussion with herself
+regarding what would be the most acceptable and appropriate gift
+she could offer each one, to attest her appreciation of their
+united kindness and unrivaled hospitality in taking her so
+lovingly into their household for the long vacation.
+
+Without having heard a step or a movement, without a suspicion
+that any living being was near, her name was suddenly pronounced
+in familiar tones directly behind her.
+
+"Sadie!"
+
+She sprang to her feet and faced the intruder.
+
+"Oh, Ned! Why have you come? Why cannot you let me alone?" she
+cried, in a startled tone.
+
+"I have come to make you take back your ring," and he held out the
+box to her. "And I cannot 'leave you alone,' because--you know
+why, Sadie."
+
+"No, I shall not take back the ring," she replied, waving it away,
+"and I wrote you that everything was at an end between us; that I
+would not be bound to you any longer."
+
+"But you are bound--you have given me your promise."
+
+"I have taken back that promise."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because--oh! for many reasons. I have my course to finish; I mean
+to put my best work into the coming year, and I will not be
+hampered in any such way," resolutely returned Sadie, who was fast
+recovering tier self-possession.
+
+"No; it is because that preaching, sanctimonious Katherine Minturn
+has influenced you against me," hotly retorted her companion.
+
+"Katherine Minturn is the dearest, loveliest, sweetest girl in the
+world, and I won't hear one word against her," said Sadie, in
+stout defense of her friend.
+
+"Well, what are some of your other 'many reasons'?" demanded Mr.
+Willard, and quickly retreating from what he saw was dangerous
+ground.
+
+"I--reckon I'm under no obligation to give them," slowly returned
+the girl, after a moment of thought. "It is sufficient that I have
+decided to end everything. Now please let that settle it and don't
+try to see me again."
+
+"Don't you care for me any more, Sadie? What have I done? What
+fault have you to find with me?"
+
+"Have you no fault to find with yourself, Ned Willard? Are you
+satisfied with the life you are living?" gravely inquired Sadie,
+but ignoring his queries.
+
+"But you would be the making of me, Sadie. Under your influence I
+could be anything--everything you could wish."
+
+"Well, now--doesn't that strike you as rather a weak argument for
+a man to offer for himself?" returned his companion, lapsing into
+her Southern drawl which, of late, had not been so prominent; "to
+ask a girl to bind herself irrevocably to him for life and holding
+out as an inducement the privilege of reforming him?" and there
+was a note of scorn in the lazy tones that stung the man to sudden
+anger.
+
+"I swear I will not be trifled with in any such way," he
+passionately exclaimed. "You shall rue your words, Sadie Minot--"
+
+"I reckon I'd better go in," she interrupted, and turned haughtily
+from him.
+
+"You won't go in yet," he said, through tightly shut teeth, as he
+placed himself in her path. "I'll see if--"
+
+At that instant voices were heard, and, turning, both saw
+Katherine, accompanied by Dr. Stanley, mounting the steps leading
+to the veranda.
+
+With a half audible imprecation, the baffled intruder sprang upon
+the railing and vaulted over.
+
+But his foot becoming entangled in the vines trailing there caused
+him to fall heavily to the ground, where, after one sharp cry of
+agony, he lay silent and motionless.
+
+In less time than it takes to record it, Sadie was kneeling beside
+him, while her friends followed closely after.
+
+"I will call the coachman. We must get him into the house
+immediately," said Katherine, who was intent only upon giving
+instant succor to the injured man.
+
+"No," vetoed Dr. Stanley, authoritatively, "he must not be taken
+in here. You may call help, however, and I will have him carried
+to my room, where I will ascertain how seriously he is injured,
+then we can decide what further disposition to make of him."
+
+The coachman and hostler were summoned, and the unconscious man
+was borne to the Hunt cottage and laid upon Phillip Stanley's bed.
+Here an examination revealed that the left leg had been broken
+above the knee; but, before an hour had passed, this was
+skillfully set and the patient made as comfortable as possible for
+the night.
+
+Dr. Stanley would not permit his sister to be inconvenienced in
+any way by this addition to their family, but took it upon himself
+to minister to the sufferer's requirements, which he did with all
+the ease and skill of a trained nurse.
+
+During the first day or two the young man preserved a sullen
+silence; but as his attendant manifested only good will and
+invariably treated him with the utmost courtesy and kindness, his
+reserve gradually wore away and he became more communicative.
+
+"This has proved a pretty unlucky trip for me," he observed, on
+the third morning after the accident, and thus introducing a
+subject which Dr. Stanley had studiously avoided.
+
+"Possibly; but you are coming on all right. You have had no fever,
+no pain," the physician replied.
+
+"No, and I don't understand that part of it at all," remarked his
+patient, thoughtfully. "I have always supposed it was a terrible
+experience to have a broken bone set."
+
+"Well, Willard, I have a confession to make to you about that,"
+his companion returned; "you were in such a state of collapse
+Tuesday night I felt you were unfit to decide any question for
+yourself, and, as I had no anaesthetics at hand, I asked Mrs.
+Minturn to give you a Christian Science treatment while I
+performed my duties, and since then I have been trying to work,
+under her direction, to keep the claims of inflammation and fever
+from manifesting themselves."
+
+"Christian Science!" repeated the patient, with a short laugh.
+"Well, I've heard that it would do great things, but I never took
+any stock in it; it seemed like so much twaddle to me. You are
+sure you're not guying me, doctor?"
+
+"Indeed, I am not; you can rely on what I have told you."
+
+"All right; the method doesn't signify, so long as I was spared
+the pain."
+
+"Then, are you willing to keep on under the same treatment?"
+inquired his companion.
+
+"I'll be blamed! I believe you're turning Scientist yourself!"
+exclaimed Willard, with a broad grin. "But it makes no difference
+to me what you do, so I get results. You're a first-class doctor,
+and would be sure to know if anything was going wrong. But--
+confound the luck!--I don't want to be laid up here for three
+months," he concluded, impatiently.
+
+"There will be no need of that. I think by the end of another week
+you can be put upon a Pullman and go home," was the encouraging
+response.
+
+"Home!" was the bitter retort. "You know I can't go there,
+Stanley."
+
+"Well, you are going to be well taken care of, anyway. I shall
+attend to that," said Dr. Stanley, kindly.
+
+"Doc, you're O. K. You've been mighty good to me, first and last,"
+the patient observed, and flushing with sudden feeling. "I suppose
+you know what brought me down here," he added, after a moment of
+silence.
+
+"Yes, I know something about it. You followed Miss Minot here."
+
+"Why shouldn't I follow her?" was the hot reply. "She had promised
+to marry me."
+
+"I understand that promise had been revoked."
+
+"She had no right to revoke it after leading me on--"
+
+"Leading you on!" sternly interrupted Phillip Stanley. "Willard,
+don't add to your other sins by laying that at the girl's door,
+when I've known of your boasts that before the year was out you
+'would have a wife and the handling of a cool three hundred
+thousand dollars.'"
+
+"Who told you that?" demanded the young man, with a guilty flush
+and a shame-faced air.
+
+"It does not matter who told me; I have it on good authority."
+
+"But, Stanley, I am fond of her. I really am."
+
+"Suppose Alfred Bent was fond of your sister, Minnie, in the same
+way, would you like to have him marry her?"
+
+The fellow shrank as under a lash and his eyes blazed.
+
+"By thunder--no!" he vehemently returned.
+
+"But Alfred Bent has been your inseparable crony during the last
+two years that you have wasted, and there is very little to choose
+between you. So ask yourself if you are fit to marry a girl like
+Miss Minot; what right you have to ruin her life and squander her
+money."
+
+"I say, doc, you are piling it on thick," Willard here interposed,
+in an injured tone.
+
+"Yes, I know it sounds harsh, Ned," said the physician, bending a
+grave though kindly look on him, "but, in my profession, you know
+we sometimes have to probe and adopt severe measures before a cure
+can be effected. You also know, from past experience, that
+kindness was the only motive that prompted me in what I have done
+and still prompts me in what I am doing; so, now having come to an
+enforced pause in your career, I want you to improve it by doing
+some serious thinking. You are a fellow of more than ordinary
+natural ability, Ned, and have it in your power to gain an
+enviable position in the world if you would turn your talents in
+the right direction."
+
+"You flatter me," was the sarcastic interruption.
+
+"I have been telling you some very plain truths, and it is only
+fair to give credit also where it is due," said his companion, in
+a friendly tone. "I am sure that underneath your seeming
+recklessness you have not always felt comfortable or satisfied
+with yourself. You are the only son of a fine father, who has
+given you every advantage. Your mother is one of the 'salt of the
+earth'; but her hair has been growing very white during the last
+two years, and Minnie--well, my heart has often ached for her as I
+have noted the sad drooping of her eyes and the grieved quiver of
+her lips when she has spoken to me of you."
+
+"Stanley, have you any brandy in the house?" suddenly demanded
+Willard, trying to speak in his ordinary tone; but his companion
+saw that he was white to his lips, and concluded that he had
+"probed" far enough for the present.
+
+"You are not to have stimulants while you are under treatment,"
+was the quiet but decisive reply.
+
+"But, doc, I can't stand it. I really can't. Look!" and he held up
+a hand that shook like a leaf.
+
+"You will be better of that shortly, my boy. I'll take care of
+it," was the kind reply. "But"--confidentially--"while we are
+talking of it, wouldn't you be glad to have that habit broken--to
+be free?"
+
+The poor fellow drew in a quick, sharp breath; then, in a hard,
+metallic tone, he said:
+
+"I've thought a score of times I would be free; that I'd end it
+once for all--take a last drink, you know, with a dose of
+strychnine in it." Then, tossing back the hair from his forehead,
+he added, with an effort to be facetious: "I wonder how your
+science would work on that? I say, Stanley, are you really turning
+Christian Scientist?"
+
+Before his companion could reply, a maid appeared in the doorway,
+bearing a tray on which a tempting lunch was arranged. Dr. Stanley
+drew a table beside the bed and deftly placed things so that his
+patient could easily reach them; then, at his request, went below
+to join his sister and Dorothy at their repast.
+
+The subjects of their recent conversation were not resumed, but,
+though the physician was in some doubt regarding the impression
+made on the young man's mind, it was evident that he cherished no
+resentment. He did not ask for liquor again, either, though there
+were times when a certain look in his eyes warned his watchful
+attendant that the old craving was making itself felt and caused
+him to flee to his "little book" and work vigorously on this first
+venture, which, with Mrs. Minturn's assistance, he was making in
+Christian Science.
+
+One day, having made his charge comfortable and supplied him with
+an entertaining book to read, Dr. Stanley sought the companionship
+of his sister and Dorothy, on the broad piazza, where they now
+almost lived when the weather was fine.
+
+"See! Uncle Phil," cried his niece, the moment he appeared, and
+holding up some work for his inspection, "mamma is teaching me to
+fagot and hemstitch, and I am going to make some pretty collars
+like hers," and the eager tone and sparkling eyes told how deeply
+interested the girl was in the novel employment.
+
+The hitherto sunken cheeks were beginning to assume a graceful
+contour; the lips had taken on a decided tinge of scarlet, while
+an unaccustomed vigor in all her movements told of daily
+increasing strength, and the cheery ring in her voice was like
+music to loving hearts.
+
+The man bent down to inspect the small piece of linen and the
+dainty stitches, his face all aglow with inward thanksgiving as he
+praised her work.
+
+"We will have you turning dressmaker next and setting up an
+establishment for yourself," he observed, in a sportive tone.
+
+"Well, why not?" she gayly retorted. "If I took a notion to learn
+dressmaking, I am sure I could do it. But"--more gravely--"I am
+going to study like everything this winter and make up for lost
+time. Mamma and I have been talking it over, and she thinks I can
+begin the regular course if I want to. I do, and I mean to go
+through and graduate like any other student."
+
+"Indeed! We are making great plans, aren't we?"
+
+"Yes, I know it sounds big for me; but Mrs. Minturn says 'there is
+nothing we cannot do if we do not limit God,' and Miss Katherine
+says--"
+
+"Well, what does Miss Katherine say?" queried her uncle, in an
+eager tone, as Dorothy paused to count the threads she was taking
+on her needle.
+
+She looked up quickly into his face, his tone having attracted
+her.
+
+"I guess you think she is pretty nice, too," she observed,
+naively.
+
+"What has put that idea into your small head?"
+
+"Oh! the way you speak of her and look at her sometimes, and--
+well, of course"--with an appreciative sigh--"anybody couldn't
+help loving her."
+
+"But you haven't told me what she said," persisted the man, but
+feeling the color mounting in his face as he caught the merry
+gleam in his sister's eyes.
+
+"Oh! she said that 'God being the only intelligence, man reflects
+that intelligence, and there is nothing we cannot learn if we keep
+that in our thought as we study'; so you see, it is all right for
+me to plan to go through college if I want to," and the tone
+indicated that the matter was settled.
+
+"'Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast
+revealed them unto babes,'" quoted Phillip Stanley to himself, as
+he stooped to recover a spool that rolled from Mrs. Seabrook's
+lap.
+
+At the same moment the sound of wheels fell upon their ears; the
+next, a carriage stopped before their door and a stalwart figure
+leaped to the ground.
+
+"Papa!" "William!" fell simultaneously from the lips of the mother
+and daughter--one with a ring of triumph in her voice, the other
+with a note of intense yearning in her tones.
+
+The man caught his wife to his breast.
+
+"Sweetheart, it is joy to hold you here once more," he breathed,
+as their lips met; and she knew there was no cloud between them.
+
+Then he turned and knelt beside his child, folding her in a long,
+silent embrace.
+
+One swift glance into her bright, eager, happy face had told him a
+story that thrilled his soul and made him, for the moment, dumb.
+
+"Papa, you can see, can't you?--and you are glad, aren't you?
+"Dorothy at length observed, as she lifted wet but joyful eyes to
+his bronzed face.
+
+"Darling, I can see, and I am more than 'glad,'" he returned, in a
+husky tone, as he gently released her, then arose to greet his
+brother-in-law.
+
+"Phillip, old boy, it is good to be home again," he said, as he
+clasped the outstretched hand, and the hearty grip told the
+younger man that there would be no controversy between them over a
+previously mooted question, while he was strangely touched, when
+he added, with a smile that was somewhat tremulous:
+
+"The cane is here, Phil, and at your disposal."
+
+"What is that about a cane, papa?" cried Dorothy, whose quick ears
+had caught what he had said.
+
+"I asked your father to bring me a nice cane from abroad," her
+uncle explained.
+
+"Well, papa," the girl pursued, "I hope it is a very handsome one,
+and that you will make him a present of it, for you can never know
+how good Uncle Phil' has been to us."
+
+Both gentlemen laughed, and were glad of the opportunity to give
+vent in this way to their pent-up emotions.
+
+"All right, Dorrie; and when you see it you shall be the judge
+whether it is fine enough," replied the professor, as he turned
+again to feast his eyes upon the wonderful change in her.
+
+A little later the lunch bell sounded, and the happy quartet went
+within to break bread together, for the first time in two long
+months. But one of the number could only make a pretense at
+eating--his heart was too full to allow him to do much but
+covertly watch his child, who was vigorously plying knife and fork
+and manifesting the appreciative appetite of a normally hungry
+girl.
+
+Of course, there was much to tell and talk over, and the afternoon
+slipped swiftly away, twilight coming upon them almost before "the
+half had been told."
+
+The subject of Christian Science had been mutually avoided, and
+was not referred to until after dinner, when Mrs. Minturn came in
+for her usual visit to Dorothy.
+
+Prof. Seabrook had never met her but once, and that was when she
+had visited Hilton to apply for Katherine's admission to the
+school. But he recognized her instantly, and greeted her with the
+utmost cordiality.
+
+When her interview with Dorothy was over and she rejoined the
+group in the parlor, he invited her to be seated and placed a
+chair for her.
+
+"But this is your first evening with your dear ones, and they
+should have the privilege of monopolizing you," she objected, with
+her charming smile.
+
+"Nay, there are some things that must be said, you know, and they,
+I am sure, are longing to hear them," he returned, with visible
+emotion. "First, I have no words adequate to express my gratitude
+for what you have done for my child."
+
+"Not what I have done," the lady interposed, with gentle emphasis.
+
+"I understand--and I have been trying to thank God every moment
+since my return," he said, "but you claim to be His messenger, or
+instrument, and surely we cannot ignore that fact. I left Dorrie
+pale and wasted to a mere shadow, scarcely able to move or help
+herself in any way. I find to-day a bright, animated girl, rapidly
+taking on flesh and strength, sitting upright in her chair--
+sewing! How the wonder has been accomplished is beyond my
+comprehension. I had previously vetoed Christian Science
+treatment; to be frank, I contemptuously repudiated it. I can no
+longer hold it in derision, neither can I say that my attitude
+towards it, as a science, or a religion, has changed."
+
+"That is yet to come," said Mrs. Minturn, smiling, as he paused.
+
+"I have read your text-book," he resumed, "but with a critical
+frame of mind that has been termed 'ecclesiastical and
+intellectual pride'"--this with a quizzical glance at his brother,
+who nodded back a sharp assent--"and I could or would find nothing
+good in it. To me it seemed atheistic, fallacious, heretical. You
+perceive I am not sparing myself in these admissions," he
+interposed, "but I have been doing some serious thinking during my
+return voyage, and now I am going to read that book again; not to
+criticise, but to get at its true inwardness if I can."
+
+"That is a spirit that will surely bring its own reward," Mrs.
+Minturn responded, her face luminous with admiration for the frank
+and conscientious acknowledgment which the man had made.
+
+Mrs. Seabrook turned glad eyes upon her husband.
+
+"And, William, we will have her keep on with the treatment, will
+we not?"
+
+"Assuredly; one could never have the heart to stop the good work,
+even though one may not comprehend the method," he heartily
+responded, and the happy wife and mother heaved a sigh of supreme
+content.
+
+They talked on for a while longer, then Mrs. Minturn gracefully
+took her leave and went home to tell Katherine that another
+prodigal was on his way to his Father's house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+PHILLIP STANLEY'S FIRST DEMONSTRATION.
+
+
+A week after the return of Prof. Seabrook, Dr. Stanley ventured to
+transfer his patient to his native city. He was desirous of
+getting him away before the general flitting back to Hilton, in
+order to prevent awkward meetings and complications.
+
+The young man had improved steadily, and his physician had found
+him, as a rule, very patient and tractable. He avoided talking
+about himself, and never again referred to the conversation that
+had occurred a few days after his accident. He read a great deal,
+conversed freely of politics, current events, etc., and evidently
+tried to cause as little trouble as possible.
+
+He was often seriously thoughtful, a circumstance which his
+observant attendant regarded as a favorable indication, while, now
+and then, he would drop a word that betrayed his appreciation of
+the rare kindness he was receiving. In arranging for his
+transportation Dr. Stanley neglected nothing that would contribute
+to his comfort, and he made the trip without the slightest
+inconvenience, although he betrayed a sense of restlessness as he
+neared his destination, for he had not even asked what was to
+become of him upon his arrival, and could not quite conceal his
+anxiety on that point.
+
+When he was lifted out upon the platform at the station, in his
+own city, his astonished glance fell first upon his sister, a
+sweet girl of seventeen, then upon his father, both of whom
+greeted him as if there had never been a barrier between them.
+
+He flushed a remorseful scarlet and lifted an inquiring look to
+Dr. Stanley.
+
+"Yes, Ned, I plead guilty," he smilingly confessed. "I did not
+feel justified in keeping your family in ignorance of your
+condition, and Mr. Willard telegraphed me that he would meet us on
+our arrival."
+
+"And, Ned, we have everything so nicely fixed for you at home,"
+his sister here interposed, for she saw he was half dazed by the
+unexpected meeting. "Bridge--the same old girl--and I have put
+your room in apple-pie order; your books and pictures just as you
+used to have them, and"--with a ripple of musical laughter--"you
+are going to have cream toast with your dinner. It was your
+favorite dish, you know, and mamma is making it herself. She
+wouldn't trust anybody else, for fear there would be lumps in it.
+But here come the men," she concluded, cutting herself short, as
+two muscular fellows came forward to transfer the bamboo litter to
+a waiting ambulance.
+
+"And I will come around in the morning to take a look at that
+cast. I think we'll have it off altogether before long," observed
+Dr. Stanley, as he held out his hand to take leave of his patient,
+who could only wring it in silence. Then he was borne away.
+
+When the Seabrooks and Katherine arrived at Hilton, on the day
+previous to the opening of the school, they were joyfully welcomed
+by Jennie, who not only had everything in order for the principal
+and his family, but had, with loving hands, also made Katherine
+and Sadie's room immaculate and gorgeously decorated it with
+autumn leaves and golden-rod in honor of their return.
+
+Katherine could see that the girl's recent trying experience had
+subdued her somewhat; but, otherwise, she was the same original,
+irrepressible Jennie as ever.
+
+"How I love you!" she cried, when she was left alone with
+Katherine, while Sadie was out of the room for a few moments, and
+supplementing her statement with another vigorous hug. "And you
+look dearer than ever, if that could be possible; and what a fine
+time you've all been having down there by the sea! Dr. Stanley has
+told me all about it, and"--with a grimace--"I guess you've been
+busy, too, doctoring some of the materia medica out of him--eh?"
+
+"What do you mean?" Katherine inquired, but flushing under the
+fire of the girl's mischievous eyes.
+
+"Oh! he doesn't make any bones of it; he told me all about
+Dorothy--how sick she was, and what your mother did for her,
+though he said, of course, it must not be talked here. I suppose
+he made an exception of me, because he knows how I love the
+Seabrooks and you, and then I can see for myself how flip he is
+with the 'new tongue.'"
+
+"Jennie!" exclaimed Katherine, in a shocked tone. Then she added:
+"What do you know about the 'new tongue'?"
+
+"I'm always saying the wrong thing," said the girl, in a repentant
+voice; "but, truly, I didn't mean to be irreverent--I only wanted
+you to know how pat the doctor reels off the scientific phrases;
+and"--assuming an important air--"I guess I know that Christian
+Science is the 'new tongue' spoken of in the Bible. I've been to
+the service all summer; auntie went with me, too, and thought it
+was beautiful"--this with a sudden break in her voice--"and I've
+got the book," she resumed. "I bought it with my pin-money. One of
+the Scientists was going to get a revised pocket edition, and said
+she'd let me have her old one for half price. She said the Science
+is all in it, and so I thought it would do until I could afford to
+buy a new one."
+
+Katherine's eyes grew moist as she listened to this, and she told
+herself that the dear child should also have a new revised pocket
+edition when Christmas came.
+
+Looking back over the months that had elapsed since she first came
+to Hilton, she was almost overwhelmed, in view of the changed
+thought that had crept into the school. She had sown but the
+tiniest seed of Truth when she had told Prof. Seabrook that
+"Christian Science was a religion of Love and she would simply try
+to live it"; but its rootlets had taken firm hold beneath the
+surface of an unpromising soil; its germ had shot upwards and
+flourished, in spite of an adverse atmosphere, spreading abroad
+its branches with bud and blossom and fruitage, until now a goodly
+harvest was being gathered in. There were Miss Reynolds, Mrs.
+Seabrook and Dorothy, Jennie and Dr. Stanley, all ready to avow
+themselves as adherents of Truth, with Sadie, Prof. Seabrook and--
+she was beginning to hope--Ned Willard looking towards the Light;
+and her heart was flooded with a great joy.
+
+"What are you thinking about, Miss Minturn?" Jennie ventured to
+inquire when she had borne the silence as long as she could.
+
+Katharine came to herself with a sudden start.
+
+"Excuse me, dear," she said, with a deprecatory smile. "But what
+you have just told me sent my thoughts wandering back over all
+that has happened since I came here last winter. I did not mean to
+be heedless, and I am very glad that you wanted the book enough to
+buy it. Now"--laying a fond hand on her shoulder--"you are to drop
+'Miss Minturn" here and now. You and I are going to be like
+sisters--we are sisters in Truth already, for you are coming to us
+after this for all your vacations. You must have a home, you know,
+and I think you will be happy with us."
+
+"Happy!" cried Jennie, choking up suddenly. "Why, I--I--think it
+will be just h--hea--venly!" and down went the curly black head
+upon her hands to hide the tears she could not wipe away, for, as
+was frequently the case, her handkerchief was not forthcoming when
+most needed.
+
+Katherine slipped hers into her hand, for she heard Sadie
+returning, and, a few minutes later, the three girls were engaged
+in an animated discussion of plans for the coming year.
+
+The school opened with a full house again; indeed, it was more
+than full, for Prof. Seabrook was obliged to secure rooms for half
+a dozen new pupils with some families outside, and began to
+seriously consider the advisability of extending the wings of the
+building before the beginning of another year.
+
+We cannot follow the experiences of our friends during the ensuing
+ten months, in detail; and, in fact, but little out of the
+ordinary occurred to mark their passing.
+
+It will be of interest, perhaps, to know that Prof. Seabrook, true
+to his word, made a careful perusal of "Science and Health," but
+he did not find it easy to get out of old ruts, and there was many
+a hard-fought battle with preconceived opinions and long-treasured
+creeds and doctrines. Many a time he threw down his book with a
+revival of his old antagonism, but a look at Dorrie--whose general
+health had become almost perfect, and who was now manifesting the
+keenest interest in the studies which she had insisted upon taking
+up--was like a "peace, be still" to the tempest and oil upon the
+turbulent waters, and he resumed his investigations with such
+determination to know the Truth, that, finally, he was enabled to
+say with one of old, "I begin to see as through a glass darkly."
+
+Miss Reynolds became a greater power than ever in the school. She
+had always been attractive, and the students loved her, but now
+there was an added charm and sweetness that irresistibly drew
+everyone to her. She made no secret of the change in her views,
+although she never forced them upon anyone. She attended the
+service on Grove Street regularly, with Katherine, and Jennie also
+was numbered with the same congregation.
+
+Dr. Stanley found his position unique and by no means an enviable
+one. Before going abroad he had built up a fine practice, and most
+of his patients came back to him on his return, while new ones had
+flocked to him. Now, however, with his changed thought, he found
+it exceedingly difficult to decide just what course to pursue,
+when those who, hitherto, had placed unbounded confidence in him
+now called upon him to minister again to their necessities.
+
+But he had chosen his path. Having become convinced that God and
+God alone "forgiveth all iniquities and healeth all diseases," he
+had declared that he would never again diagnose a case in accord
+with the laws of materia medica, write another medical
+prescription, or deal out ineffectual drugs. Neither did he, as
+yet, feel that he was prepared to announce himself a Christian
+Science practitioner. So, when called to his former patients, he
+had felt it his duty to state his position and, as an "entering
+wedge," suggest that they give the Science a trial for their
+infirmities. Some had openly scoffed at him; others had acted upon
+his advice, and were greatly benefited; while, in a few instances,
+he had offered to try what he himself could do, and, to his great
+joy, had made his demonstration. But the majority dropped him and
+went over to rival practitioners.
+
+Then he began to push out into the byways and hedges. He sought
+out the suffering poor more than he had ever done before, and here
+he found a field "ready to harvest," where he could preach the
+"new gospel" and prove the promise, "The works that I do shall ye
+do also if ye believe on Me."
+
+So the growth in his own consciousness went on while he was
+"casting his bread upon the waters," and he also might have been
+seen, nearly every Sunday morning, in one of the rear seats in the
+hall on Grove Street, listening intently to the service.
+
+One supreme joy came to him during this time.
+
+Ned Willard's improvement had been phenomenally rapid after his
+return home, and, to his family, the change in himself appeared no
+less remarkable.
+
+He was now always considerate of and courteous to every member of
+the household, frequently expressing grateful appreciation of
+their care and kindness, while an oath, which once had been a
+frequent offense to their ears, was now never heard to pass his
+lips.
+
+One morning, while making his accustomed visit, Dr. Stanley
+observed that his patient was strangely silent and thoughtful,
+seeming disinclined to talk, although he suggested several topics
+to attract his attention. He was just on the point of rising to
+go, thinking it wiser to leave him to his mood, when he suddenly
+broke forth:
+
+"I say, Stanley, what have you been doing to me?"
+
+"'Doing to you!' I am not sure that I catch your meaning."
+
+"Well, when I tumbled helplessly into your hands, down there in
+Massachusetts, you told me you were using Christian Science
+treatment, and asked me if I objected. I thought it all 'bosh';
+but, as you know, told you I didn't care, provided the method
+brought right results. I thought that if things did not go O. K.
+you would slip back to the old way, so I felt perfectly safe. But
+now I begin to feel some curiosity regarding this peculiar mode,
+process, or whatever it may be, for not only has my leg got well--
+it is practically well--quicker than I supposed it possible for a
+broken bone to mend, but I feel mended in other ways," he
+concluded, with some embarrassment.
+
+"What do you mean, Ned?"
+
+"Well, physically, I feel like a new man--kind of clean and fresh,
+through and through. Then"--flushing--"I am amazed that I haven't
+been crazy for drink; but I do not seem to want it--I do not even
+care to smoke, and--"
+
+"Yes," said his companion, kindly.
+
+"Oh! hang it! Stanley, it isn't easy to tell it, but I'm going to;
+I feel as if an X-ray had been turned upon my mentality, showing
+me what a blamed fool I've made of myself during the last few
+years, making me wish I could blot it all out and take a sharp
+turn in another direction. How's that for humble pie! I declare, I
+don't know myself!" he concluded, apologetically.
+
+Dr. Stanley was literally stricken speechless. His heart was too
+full for utterance. Surely this "fruit of the Spirit" was ripening
+far earlier than he had dared to hope, although he had worked on
+the case with all the understanding he possessed, in connection
+with frequent correspondence with Mrs. Minturn for counsel.
+
+"What have you been doing, doc?" Willard repeated. "I've heard
+that Christian Science treatment is wholly mental, but you have
+been doing some fine talking, first and last. Some of it has cut
+home and some has gone over my head. Does your science reform the
+drunkard as well as mend broken bones? I remember you once asked
+me if I'd like to be freed from it. Upon my word, I believe it
+does, though I'm not going to boast until I get out and can prove
+it. Have you been treating me for that, Stanley?"
+
+"Yes, I have been trying to make you realize your birthright--your
+God-given dominion over all things," said his friend, in a voice
+that faltered in spite of himself; "have tried to make you know
+that you were 'free-born.'"
+
+"Hold on! Now you are soaring over my head again," interposed the
+young man. "Just make that clearer in your own language, please.
+Bible phraseology always seemed like Choctaw to me."
+
+"Well, then, Christian Science teaches that God made man the
+perfect image and likeness of Himself and gave him power to
+reflect or manifest His dominion over all beings. It follows,
+then, that man was never in bondage to anything--habit, appetite,
+disease or sin; so he was 'free-born.'"
+
+"Then how does it happen we find him so tangled up in all sorts of
+deviltry?" demanded Willard.
+
+"We find the mortal 'tangled up,' as you express it, because he
+has set himself up as an independent entity and claims this entity
+can be governed by evil instead of good--with lies instead of
+truth, with sickness instead of health."
+
+"You emphasize the word 'mortal'; so you make a distinction
+between a man and a mortal?"
+
+"Yes; the mortal is the counterfeit of the real man, like a bogus
+dollar bill, with no gold or principal to back it. He arrogantly
+assumes that he has a will of his own, and this will is
+subordinate to no other unless he chooses to make it so. But we
+find that he reasons falsely when we see how he becomes the slave
+of all sorts of evil that ultimates in sickness and death,"
+explained Dr. Stanley.
+
+"Humph! Then, according to your logic, the Ned Willard whom you
+know is simply a mortal, physical manifestation of will power,
+catering to his own appetites and desires, and so becoming their
+bond servant, and there is no true image and likeness of God, or
+real man about him," was the young man's half-quizzical rejoinder.
+"Granted," he went on, more seriously, "I think I am beginning to
+see him as he is and has appeared to others. But now comes the
+question, 'How is this same Ned Willard going to get rid of the
+undesirable mortal and find the man?' It looks a hopeless task to
+me."
+
+"You are using the scalpel very freely upon yourself, my boy,"
+said Phillip Stanley, in his friendliest tone. "But let us see if
+there isn't a different kind of blade that will serve us better.
+If you were cruelly bound with thongs, and some friend should pass
+you a keen-edged knife, you would not sit hopelessly looking at
+your bonds and still continue to bemoan your bondage; you would
+instantly begin to sever the thongs and so regain your liberty. In
+Christian Science we find the 'sword of Truth' with which we begin
+to cut away, one by one, the bonds of mortal falsities, habits,
+appetites and belief in evil until, eventually, we shall find our
+freedom and true manhood."
+
+"That sounds very promising, as you put it, though the how of it
+seems rather vague. But, by all that's honest, I would like to get
+at the secret of it," and the young man turned a frank, earnest
+face to his companion as he concluded.
+
+"This will reveal it. Will you read it if I leave it with you?"
+and Dr. Stanley drew forth a pocket edition of "Science and
+Health" and laid it upon his knee.
+
+Willard opened it and glanced at the title-page.
+
+"Thank you; I shall be glad to look it through," he replied.
+
+"You will need a Bible to go with it," said his companion, lifting
+his eyes to a bookcase near him.
+
+"You'll not find one there," his patient observed, with a short
+laugh. "Bibles and I have had nothing in common this many a year.
+However, there are plenty about the house."
+
+Dr. Stanley shortly after took his leave and went away to visit
+other hungry ones, a reverent joy in his heart and on his lips the
+paean of David, "Who is so great a God as our God?"
+
+A few weeks later Edwin Willard walked briskly into his office,
+his handsome face all aglow with health, a new hope and purpose
+shining in his eyes.
+
+"I'm off, Stanley!" he said, in cheery, eager tones as he laid his
+friend's "little book" on his desk. "I've just slipped in to
+return this and bid you au revoir."
+
+"Off!" repeated Phillip Stanley, in surprise. "Where to? what
+for?"
+
+"I'm going to Washington, as private secretary to the Hon.----,
+United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He was a classmate of my
+father's at Yale, and asked the governor, the other day, if he
+could suggest some one for the position," Willard explained. "It's
+very sudden, but it's great luck, though this"--touching the book
+he had just laid down--"teaches there's no such thing as luck. The
+salary won't permit me to keep up a spread-eagle style at
+present"--with a light-hearted laugh--"but I have a promise of
+more later on, and it may be the stepping-stone to something
+better; and, Stanley, I'm bent on going higher, in more ways than
+one," he concluded, in a confidential tone.
+
+"Ned, I am more glad than I can tell you, and my best wishes go
+with you," heartily returned his friend. "Wouldn't you like to
+take the book along as a souvenir?" he asked, pushing it towards
+him.
+
+"Thanks, I've just bought one for myself, and I don't need any
+souvenirs to remind me of you; for, Stanley, all I am and all I
+hope to be I owe to you, or--I suppose you would prefer me to say-
+-to God, through you. But if I am to catch that fast express I
+must skip. I'll write to you, though, when I am settled."
+
+The two men clasped hands and looked deep into each other's eyes
+for a moment; then the younger turned abruptly away and left the
+room, the elder gravely watching the manly form as it sped, with
+alert and vigorous steps, down the street.
+
+"God bless the boy!" he said, in a low tone; "he has 'got at the
+secret of it' at last, and his life henceforth will be crowned
+with joy and peace."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+MRS. MINTURN VISITS HILTON.
+
+
+Everything moved along harmoniously with Katherine in school. Of
+course, there was work to be done and it required diligence,
+patience and perseverance to accomplish her daily tasks. But there
+is always satisfaction in overcoming difficulties, for such
+conquest never fails to strengthen and uplift.
+
+Between Sadie and herself there existed the tenderest relations.
+Every day seemed to draw them closer to each other, for divine
+Love was now the mutually acknowledged bond between them. The girl
+had provided herself with the necessary books and was doing more
+than "looking towards the Light"--she was really trying to walk in
+it. She was also striving to "do her best" during this, her last
+year at school, as she had avowed she would, and was reaping her
+reward by finding that she was daily gaining in mental strength
+and capacity.
+
+Jennie also was making good progress. She did not love fun and
+frolic one whit less, but she now sought it in legitimate hours
+and ways, and never allowed herself to "kick over the traces," or,
+in other words, to break rules, and so jeopardize her record,
+although, as she once confessed, with the old mischievous sparkle
+in her eyes, "the apples of Sodom did look very alluring
+sometimes."
+
+So the Christmas vacation found them, and Katherine and Jennie
+went "home" to New York City, where every day was filled with
+delightful experiences, Mr. and Mrs. Minturn having spared nothing
+to make these holidays the brightest of the year, especially for
+their protegee whose pleasures had been so limited.
+
+There was nothing to mar their enjoyment during the two "heavenly"
+weeks. They were like a pair of happy children, and not the least
+of their pleasure consisted in helping Mrs. Minturn distribute her
+yearly reminders among those of whom One said, "The poor ye always
+have with you." And when, on Christmas morning, at breakfast, the
+packages beside the various plates were inspected, there were
+bright faces and loving smiles, and in one case almost a rain of
+tears, in view of the numerous and lovely mementoes for which the
+recipient was wholly unprepared. But it was only a "sunshower,"
+and when Mr. Minturn, with a quizzical look, told her to "take
+care, for she was losing some of her pearls," she laughingly wiped
+the glittering drops away and retorted:
+
+"I wish they were real pearls, and I would heap them upon you
+all."
+
+When it was all over and the two girls were rolling swiftly on
+their way back to school, Jennie, her face radiant with delightful
+memories, informed Katherine that she had "never had such an out
+and out jolly time in all her life before."
+
+"It is like a diamond to me," she said, "for it will glisten and
+sparkle in my mind as long as I remember anything about this life.
+But, best of all," she continued, earnestly, "has been the Science
+part of it; those lovely services and meetings! and your mother's
+talks! Oh! Katherine, if I could be with her all the time I know I
+should grow to be a good Scientist!"
+
+Katherine smiled into the yearning dark eyes.
+
+"Our growth, Jennie, depends upon our own right thinking and
+living, upon the faithfulness with which we study, assimilate and
+demonstrate Truth," she said; then added: "Right environment is
+very desirable, but when we lean upon that instead of on God, or
+Principle, we are not 'working out our own salvation,' which
+everyone must do. You know what happened to the five foolish
+virgins who leaned, or tried to lean, upon their neighbors for oil
+to fill their lamps."
+
+"Yes; and it's like copying some one else's problems and shirking
+your own daily work. When the exams come you're not 'in it'; you
+just have to 'go way back and sit down,'" and the roguish dimples
+played in her cheeks as the slang phrases slipped glibly from her
+tongue. "All the same," she continued, "it is a help to have
+others about you doing good work. Somehow it inspires you to
+hustle for yourself--that is, if you honestly want to be the real
+thing and not a sham."
+
+The latter part of February Mrs. Minturn, having been called to
+the western part of the State on business, stopped at Hilton on
+her way back, to spend the Sabbath and make "my girls" a little
+visit.
+
+That visit was like an oasis to Prof. Seabrook, or, as he
+afterwards expressed it, "it shone in his memory like a pure,
+lustrous pearl set in jet."
+
+Saturday afternoon was spent with Katherine and Jennie, doing a
+little needful shopping and visiting some places of interest in
+the city. Saturday evening, a party, including the Seabrooks,
+Sadie, Miss Reynolds and Dr. Stanley, was made up to go to hear
+Madam Melba, who was to sing in "Faust," and a rich treat it
+proved for them all.
+
+Sunday morning found them all, except the principal and his wife,
+at the service in the hall on Grove Street, and which was now far
+too small to comfortably accommodate the people who were flocking
+to it; while Sunday evening, at Mrs. Seabrook's invitation, saw
+our friends gathered in her spacious parlor to listen to a little
+talk on Christian Science from Mrs. Minturn.
+
+"I see you each have your book," she began, glancing around the
+circle, "and I think we cannot do better than to look into the
+tenets of our faith--you will find them on page 497. There is much
+more than at first appears in those few brief paragraphs, and I
+hope no one will let a point go by, if it seems perplexing,
+without trying to get at the heart of it. Don't fear to interrupt
+me with questions, for they will show me your trend of thought."
+
+Then, one by one, she took up the sections, which were freely and
+thoughtfully discussed. Prof. Seabrook, however, was the chief
+interlocutor of the evening and plied the patient woman with
+queries both practical and profound.
+
+She met him logically on every one, and by the time they had come
+to the end of the fifth paragraph much of the perplexity had
+vanished from the man's face and a look of peace was enthroned in
+its place, while not one in the room ever forgot that hour, which
+was so fraught with helpfulness and intense interest to them all.
+
+"Mrs. Minturn," he gravely observed, as she paused for a moment,
+"when one begins to understand something of what Christian Science
+really is, one finds himself suddenly shorn of his former
+intellectual arrogance and ecclesiastical intolerance, while he
+stands abashed and is amazed that he had never seen these things
+before."
+
+"That is because, in our previous study of the Scriptures, we were
+governed by human opinions, doctrines and creeds, instead of by
+the spiritual law of interpretation, which always brings the proof
+of its supremacy."
+
+"But it makes one wish one hadn't been quite so pert in flaunting
+one's feathers before finer birds," drawled Sadie, as she shot a
+peculiar glance at Katherine, "like a turkey we had at home once
+that had never seen a peacock's plumage until after he had done a
+good deal of strutting around, with his own self-sufficient
+appendage spread out to its widest extent. He collapsed, though,
+when he saw that blaze of glory."
+
+"Thank you, Sadie, for so pat an illustration of an exceedingly
+uncomfortable frame of mind," said Prof. Seabrook, with a merry
+twinkle in his fine eyes, while an appreciative laugh ran around
+the circle.
+
+The girl flushed scarlet in sudden dismay.
+
+"Prof. Seabrook!" she faltered, "I didn't mean--I was only
+thinking of what I said to Katherine about being a Christian
+Scientist the day she came here. I told her, very grandly, that I
+was an Episcopalian, that my grandfather was an Episcopalian
+clergyman, and I had my doubts about his resting easy in his grave
+if he knew what a rank heretic I had for a roommate. Well, she
+just unfurled a white banner of Love to me, and I've wanted to
+hide my diminished head every time I've thought of it since."
+
+"All right, Sadie; there's no offense," returned the principal,
+with a smiling glance at her still flushed cheeks, "and I think
+there may be some others among us who have learned a salutary
+lesson from our modest but stanch 'brown-eyed lassie,' for she
+certainly has tried, as she told me she would on that same day,
+'to live her religion of Love.' But," turning again to Mrs.
+Minturn, "that reminds me of something else I wished to ask you."
+
+Reopening his book, he read aloud the sixth tenet, emphasizing the
+phrase "to love one another."
+
+"I find, in reading this book," he resumed, "that you Scientists
+give a higher signification to that word 'love' than is implied by
+the ordinary interpretation. Mere sentiment or emotion have
+nothing in common with your concept of its meaning?"
+
+"Our Leader says, in her book of 'Miscellaneous Writings,'
+[Footnote: By Mary Baker G. Eddy, page 230.] that 'no word is more
+misconstrued, no sentiment less understood,'" said Mrs. Minturn.
+"Spiritual love is governed by its principle--divine Love.
+Emotional or sentimental love has no principle. It is governed by
+mortal impulse, moods, personal attraction, and so forth. Divine
+Love has but one impulse--infinite impersonal good. Paul's sublime
+definition of charity, or the love that 'beareth all things,'
+'that never faileth,' 'that thinketh no evil,' is the Christian
+Science idea of love, and as our text-book teaches, nothing short
+of this, lived and demonstrated in the daily life, is Christian
+Science love."
+
+"That is your lesson to me over again," whispered Miss Reynolds,
+who was sitting beside Katherine, "and I need it."
+
+"But you would not abolish human love?" Dr. Stanley here abruptly
+questioned.
+
+"I would have it governed, transformed by divine Love," returned
+Mrs. Minturn, gently. "There is much more of selfishness embodied
+in so-called human love than one can realize until one learns its
+spiritual signification. The mother's is the purest of all human
+affection, and yet, even this is not devoid of selfishness, for it
+is 'my boy' or 'my girl' for whom she will toil and efface herself
+to secure advantages, and often to their detriment. The love that
+is absorbed in my wife or husband, my sister or brother, my
+friend, is not the truest, although it is right to care tenderly
+for those who are dependent upon us. But the yearning that reaches
+out to all men, recognizing in everyone 'my mother, my sister, my
+brother'--for all are God's children, and there are no mine or
+thine in Truth--is the love of God, the reflected Love that is
+God."
+
+"I see, Mrs. Minturn; it is manifesting what the 'little book'
+says, the 'love of Love,' [Footnote: "Science and Health," page
+319.] or the good of Good without regard to personality, so if we
+are reflecting it we cannot even think anything but good of
+everyone," here interposed Dorothy, who had listened intently to
+all that had been said.
+
+"You dear child! how much better you have said it than I with my
+multiplicity of words!" observed Mrs. Minturn, bending a look of
+affection upon her.
+
+"She has simply summarized what you have given us; but your
+analysis has been very helpful to me, and I now see more clearly
+much that I have been questioning during my recent perusal of the
+book," Prof. Seabrook remarked.
+
+"Our Leader has long been reflecting this impersonal Love in her
+wonderful devotion to the Cause she has espoused," Mrs. Minturn
+resumed. "Her one thought and motive is and always has been--since
+the Science of Christianity was revealed to her--to send forth the
+new gospel to all 'nations and peoples and tongues,' and gather
+them under its sacred banner, knowing that it is the 'pillar of
+cloud by day and of fire by night' that will surely guide them
+into the 'Promised Land.'"
+
+"Yet she is severely criticised for claiming that it was a divine
+revelation; for assuming 'unwarrantable authority' and demanding
+'unquestioning obedience,'" said her host.
+
+"Is that a fair or an honest criticism, Prof. Seabrook?" inquired
+his guest. "Has she not proved that Christian Science was a divine
+revelation, not only by her own wonderful demonstrations, but by
+the marvelous results which follow the study of her book, 'Science
+and Health,' not to dwell upon the great work accomplished by the
+thousands of her students who have faithfully followed her
+teachings? Then, a leader must lead. Under supreme orders she
+became the pioneer to mark the way for others; she has scaled
+heights which no others have attained since the days of the
+Master, and so she alone is fitted to direct. You, after long
+experience, have organized this school; you know best what is most
+needed to promote the highest interests of your students and
+maintain the superior standard of your institution. But your word
+has to be law to attain these conditions, and you insist upon
+implicit obedience to your rules and mandates. Are you
+autocratically exacting or 'assuming unwarrantable authority' by
+so doing in order to meet the responsibilities devolving upon you?
+As I said before, 'a leader must lead,' and a general must direct,
+as he discerns the need from his vantage ground above the field of
+battle, or the cause would be lost."
+
+"I see your point. It is fairly and logically argued, and I am
+frank to admit that much of the criticism of Mrs. Eddy may be
+prompted by antagonism, jealousy and prejudice," the gentleman
+returned.
+
+"But much more it is the outgrowth of misunderstanding," said Mrs.
+Minturn, charitably. "Those who have most uncompromisingly
+denounced Christian Science and its Founder have spoken and
+written without a proper knowledge of their subject, without
+having even attempted to investigate, in order to prove the truth
+or error of what they had heard. They claim to have 'read the
+book,' but you know, from your own experience, that one casual
+reading is not sufficient to enable one to grasp the fundamental
+principles contained therein."
+
+"That is true," he assented.
+
+"And no man of good judgment," she went on, "would feel that he
+was prepared to write a treatise or exposition of some profound
+subject and give it to a critical public, until he had thoroughly
+mastered it; and this he would know he could not do in one, or
+even two, superficial readings. But these criticisms do not
+disturb us; they only make us love our Leader more, for her sweet
+patience, forbearance and forgiveness; and we know that the time
+will come when all will learn the Truth, 'from the least to the
+greatest,' and 'rise up to call her blessed.'"
+
+"I am beginning to see that, too," said the professor. "But there
+is one thing more. Of course, you have had to meet the question
+many times--one hears it everywhere, and the papers every now and
+then reiterate it--how about the high price of the text-book and
+the teaching?"
+
+"I would hardly have thought that such a question would have
+suggested itself to you, Prof. Seabrook, knowing, as you do, the
+high price demanded for some of your own text-books. Then,
+regarding the teaching, Hilton students pay from eight hundred to
+a thousand dollars a year, according to the privileges they enjoy,
+not counting the extras; and the course is four years, making
+quite a round sum in the aggregate. You force me to be personal as
+well as practical in my arguments," Mrs. Minturn interposed, with
+an arch smile. "Now for the other side of the question. Seventeen
+years ago I was healed of what several physicians--to whom I paid
+many hundreds of dollars--said was an incurable disease, by simply
+reading 'Science and Health,' for which I paid three dollars. A
+year later I studied with one of Mrs. Eddy's loyal students, to
+whom I paid one hundred dollars for my course of instruction.
+Since that time I have never employed a physician or paid out a
+penny for medicines. In view of these facts, do you think that the
+price of the book and teaching should be regarded as 'exorbitant,'
+'out of all reason,' an 'imposition upon the public,' and many
+similar expressions, as are repeated over and over by numerous
+denouncers and newspapers?"
+
+Prof. Seabrook made a deprecatory gesture.
+
+"I am ashamed to have raised such a point," he said; "it seems
+exceedingly narrow and petty."
+
+"And besides," Mrs. Minturn continued, "this same book and
+teaching have enabled me to heal hundreds of people of all manner
+of diseases, and send them on their way rejoicing and to help
+others. Ah!" she cried, with eyes that shone through starting
+tears, "how can anyone speak slightingly of that dear woman who
+has been instrumental in giving such a boon to suffering humanity,
+or criticise any act which, in her God-given wisdom, she is led to
+do? But, I am sure, I have talked enough for now, although I am at
+your service at any time if other questions arise to perplex," she
+concluded, as she arose, and the little company, after a few
+moments spent in social converse, separated for the night.
+
+A few days later Miss Reynolds sought Katharine. The girl was in a
+music room, where she had been practicing for nearly an hour, and
+arose as her friend entered, an expectant look on her face, for
+she seemed to feel at once that there was something unusual in the
+atmosphere.
+
+The woman was evidently in a strangely serious mood. There was an
+expression of exaltation in her eyes, which told of some deep, new
+experience that had aroused profound reverence and wonder, and a
+drooping of her sweet lips that bespoke a spirit bowed beneath a
+sense of humility, and she carried a letter in her hand.
+
+"Read that, dear," she said, in a repressed tone, as she passed it
+to her pupil.
+
+Katherine removed the missive from its envelope and read:
+
+"MISS ADELE REYNOLDS:
+
+"DEAR MADAM: My father, as, possibly you may have heard ere this,
+passed away one week ago to-day. You will perhaps be surprised to
+learn that I have long known there existed an error at the time of
+the settlement of Mr. Reynolds'--your father's--affairs nearly
+eleven years ago, and, although I sought several times to do so, I
+was powerless to have the matter rectified. Now, however, my
+sister and I, being the only heirs to our father's property, have
+agreed that justice must be done, and have deposited in the First
+National Bank of this city the amount--with accrued interest--that
+is your rightful due, and it is subject to your order. Trusting
+that you will kindly throw the veil of charity over what has been
+a great wrong, I am,
+
+"Very respectfully yours,  JOHN F. HOWARD."
+
+As she finished reading this letter Katherine looked into the eyes
+of her teacher and smiled.
+
+"Kathie, I can hardly believe it!" said Miss Reynolds, in a voice
+choked with tears.
+
+"'The measure that ye mete shall be measured to you again,' you
+know," softly returned her companion, "and love begets love. You,
+long since, threw the mantle of Love over your 'brother,' and
+Truth has uncovered and destroyed the error--in other words, the
+greed--that seemed to rob you of what was justly yours."
+
+"It makes me very humble," faltered her teacher. "I have tried to
+love because, to be loyal to Truth, I must do nothing else."
+
+"Yes, and so Love has fulfilled the law; and, as our text-book
+says, 'Mercy cancels the debt only when justice approves.'"
+[Footnote: "Science and Health," page 22]
+
+"And Katharine"--and Miss Reynolds' face glowed with happiness--
+"now the way is opened for me to do what I had decided I must do
+by the end of this year--'go work in His vineyard.' I did not
+clearly see how I could do it, but I have tried to know that 'God
+is the source of all supply, and I left it there.'"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+THE END OF SCHOOL DAYS.
+
+
+Time seemed to fly after Mrs. Minturn's visit. Winter melted into
+spring, spring budded and blossomed into summer, and June, with
+its examinations, commencement exercises and formalities, was once
+more close upon the students at Hilton.
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Minturn came on from New York to be present at
+Katherine's graduation, after which the family, Jennie included,
+were going directly to their summer home at Manchester.
+
+Prof. Seabrook had again been fortunate enough to secure the Hunt
+cottage for the season, for the owners were going abroad for a
+year and were only too glad to rent it to such desirable tenants.
+
+Sadie was going with her guardian and his family to Newport for
+the summer, but had promised Katherine a fortnight's visit during
+the latter half of July.
+
+The two girls had grown closer and closer to each other, and they
+now found themselves very loath to separate, to dismantle their
+pretty room and pack their trunks, for their final flitting from
+Hilton, their well-beloved alma mater. Their prospective departure
+was also generally regretted by both teachers and pupils, who were
+to remain, for each had won a stronghold in all hearts.
+
+There had been a great change in Sadie, but it had only served to
+make her more attractive, and she had kept her word to "do her
+best" work during her last year, for she now stood second in her
+class, and thus had won the respect of her principal as well as of
+her teachers, while her happy temperament and the almost prodigal
+expenditure of her ample income to give pleasure to others had
+made her many firm friends among the students.
+
+Katherine, as we know, had broken every barrier down before her
+junior year expired, and during the present one not a cloud had
+gathered to mar her relations with her associates; while, having
+lived her religion, Christian Science had grown to be respected by
+the whole school, especially after it became known what had
+produced the wonderful change in Dorothy, who did not seem like
+the same girl, and was now able to get about quite nimbly with the
+aid of crutches.
+
+The last all-important day arrived, and the retiring seniors "did
+themselves proud" in their "grand final parade" before the public,
+receiving their floral tributes and diplomas with pretty,
+consequential airs and smiles of supreme content, singing their
+last songs, but wiping away a furtive tear or two which the
+suggestive melodies evoked; then their reign at Hilton was over.
+
+After the class was dismissed, as Katherine was gathering up her
+flowers to take them to her room, she glanced at the cards
+attached to the various offerings. One bore "With dear love from
+father and mother"; another was from "Sadie," and a third from
+"Dorothy."
+
+She stood in thoughtful silence for a moment after reading these
+names, a look of perplexity on her young face, a little shadow
+dimming her pretty brown eyes.
+
+"I wonder," she began; then, suddenly cutting herself short, she
+threw back her small head with an unaccustomed air, and with a
+bright red spot on either cheek, went straight to her room,
+
+"Bless your heart, honey! Whatever has given you such a
+magnificent color?" Sadie exclaimed, as Katherine opened the door,
+to find her roommate trying to dispose of the wealth of flowers
+that had poured in upon her from all sources.
+
+"Have I more than usual?" she inquired, putting one hand over a
+hot cheek, which began to take on an even deeper hue.
+
+"Indeed you have, and it's mighty becoming to you. You are
+perfectly stunning, and I'd like a picture of you as you look
+now," and the girl's appreciative glance swept over the graceful
+figure in its trailing white dress, the brilliant flowers
+encircled with one fair arm and the beautiful face all aglow with
+its unaccustomed color. "Well," she went on, with a satisfied
+sigh, "it is all over, ami mia, and I'm sure we made a downright
+splendid show, to say nothing about the honor we heaped upon
+ourselves, with our essays, poems, class history, singing, etc. I
+was proud of it all. Now for the grand finale to-night, and that,
+I suppose, will end our school life. Heigh-ho! aren't you just a
+little bit sorry, Kathleen mavourneen?"
+
+"Yes, of course; one cannot help feeling the breaking away; er--
+Sadie, was Dr. Stanley in the audience this afternoon?"
+
+Miss Minot shot a quick, comprehensive look from under her long
+lashes at her companion, who had turned a little from her and was
+now apparently gazing out of a window.
+
+"O-h! I see!" she ejaculated, reflectively, after an instant of
+hesitation.
+
+"What do you see?" demanded Katherine, in surprise, and facing her
+suddenly.
+
+"Why! Why, this beautiful Katherine--Mermet is refractory; she--it
+won't stand up in the vase; it has a crooked stem, lops over
+dejectedly and needs doctoring," Sadie observed, demurely, as she
+held the flower up to view. "But"--with 'a sly smile--"I reckon a
+little skillful surgery will straighten it out. Yes, Dr. Stanley
+was there--up in the north corner, almost behind that great post.
+How strange you didn't see him!"
+
+"I didn't try to find anybody; I didn't care to know where anybody
+sat, at least until after I had read my essay; and then, you know,
+it was almost over," explained Katherine, turning away again, but
+not before her friend had noticed that the color was now all gone
+from her face.
+
+She nodded her head wisely once or twice.
+
+"He didn't send any flowers," she mentally observed. "Those Jacks
+are mine; the mixed bouquet is from the Minturns, and I saw Dorrie
+give the usher those Daybreak pinks. Well, it is queer. I wonder
+what it means?"
+
+"There!" she remarked, aloud, "I've done the best I can with my
+avalanche of sweetness; now give me yours, honey, and I will put
+them in this jardiniere. But what will you save out to wear with
+your reception gown to-night?" she asked, as she took the flowers
+from Katherine.
+
+"I--don't know, Sadie; I believe I won't make any change--I'll go
+just as I am," was the dejected reply as the girl sank wearily
+into a chair.
+
+"Go just as you are! not make any change! Well, now, Miss Minturn,
+that really 'jars' me; with that perfectly killing pink liberty
+gauze, made over pink silk, all ready to slip on, and which just
+makes me green with envy to look at," Sadie exclaimed, in a tone
+of mock consternation, although, as she told her later, she was
+"dying to shriek with laughter." "What is the matter, honey?" she
+added, softly, the next moment.
+
+"Matter?" repeated Katherine, trying to look unconscious.
+
+"Yes; are you tired?"
+
+"Well--it has been a pretty busy day, you know," and a half-
+repressed sigh seemed to indicate weariness.
+
+"Who is that, I wonder?" remarked Miss Minot, as some one knocked
+for admittance. "Come in."
+
+The door opened and a maid put her head inside.
+
+"A box for Miss Minturn," she said, briefly.
+
+Katherine sprang forward to take it and a strange tremor seized
+her as she severed the twine, removed the wrapper and lifted the
+cover.
+
+Then the rich color flooded cheek and brow as she saw a small but
+exquisite spray bouquet of white moss rosebuds lying upon a bed of
+moist cotton, and, beside them, a card bearing the name, "Phillip
+Harris Stanley."
+
+"Sadie! Did you ever see anything so lovely?" she cried, holding
+it out for her friend to admire, and trying not to look too happy.
+
+"'Lovely' doesn't half express it," returned the girl, glancing
+from the waxen buds to the radiant face bending above them. "Ahem!
+Who sent 'em?"
+
+"Dr. Stanley."
+
+"U-m! just the thing to wear with that pink gauze to-night," was
+the laconic suggestion.
+
+"They would look pretty with it, wouldn't they?" said Katherine,
+innocently.
+
+"I reckon that was what they were meant for, or they would have
+come before and been handed in downstairs," Miss Minot observed,
+with an audible chuckle.
+
+"Nonsense, Sadie!"
+
+"What'll you wager on it?"
+
+"How can one make a wager on what can't be verified?"
+
+"Oh"--with an irrepressible giggle--"I'll take care of that part
+of it, if you'll only bet."
+
+"What a perfect torment you can be, Sadie Minot, when you take a
+notion," interposed Katherine, flushing, but with a laugh that
+rang out clearly and sweetly. "But I must go and find mamma. She
+will be wondering what has become of me," and she turned abruptly
+away to get out of range of a pair of saucy, twinkling eyes.
+
+She carefully sprinkled her buds, then covered them to keep them
+fresh, after which she went out to seek her parents, humming a bar
+of their farewell song on the way. As the sound of her footsteps
+died away in the distance Sadie sank upon a chair and gave vent to
+a ringing peal of mirthful laughter.
+
+"Moss rosebuds!" she panted. "They will look 'pretty' with her
+dress! Oh, innocence! thy name is Katherine."
+
+A few hours later the main building of the seminary was ablaze
+with light and resounding with music, happy voices and laughter,
+together with the tripping of many feet in the merry dance.
+
+Bright and attractive maidens, in lovely evening dresses of many
+hues, flitting hither and thither with their attendants in more
+conventional attire; parents and guardians, gathered in social
+groups, or from advantageous positions, watching with smiling
+content the brilliant scene; lavish and beautiful floral
+decorations lending a perfumed atmosphere and artistic effect to
+the whole, all made a charming and spirited picture which Prof.
+Seabrook dearly loved to gaze upon, and to which he always looked
+eagerly forward at the close of every school year; albeit his
+enjoyment was somewhat tempered with sadness in view of the final
+farewells that must be said to his senior class on the morrow.
+
+To-night, as he mingled with his guests, everywhere showing
+himself the thoughtful host and courteous gentleman, his glance
+fell, several times, upon a graceful, rose-draped figure wearing a
+spray of white moss rosebuds on her corsage.
+
+He also observed, as she moved in rhythmic sway to the inspiring
+music, that she was supported by the strong arm of his distingue-
+looking brother-in-law, who seemed, he thought, to be paying more
+homage than usual to the Terpsichorean Muse, and one particular
+lady.
+
+"Well, what do you think of it, Will?" whispered his wife, who
+happened to be near him once as the couple went circling by.
+
+"What do I think of what, Emelie?" he queried, evasively.
+
+"Why, of the way Phil is carrying on to-night! Did you ever see
+anybody so lost to all things mundane--save the presence of a
+certain very dainty little lady--as he is at this moment?"
+
+"He does seem unusually frisky, I admit--especially with his
+feet," said the professor, with a smile.
+
+"His feet! Will, just look at him! He doesn't know he has any
+feet; he is all eyes and--heart! You know what I mean, dear," his
+companion pursued. "I've seen you watching them with that
+quizzical look in your eyes. What would you think of it as a--a
+match?"
+
+"Emelie! a matchmaker!--thou!" ejaculated her husband, in a tone
+of mock dismay, though his lips twitched with amusement.
+
+She laughed out musically, a sound that he loved and heard
+frequently nowadays.
+
+"But what would you think?" she persisted.
+
+"I would think, sweetheart, that--with one exception I could name-
+-he had won a crown jewel and the sweetest wife in the world,"
+replied the professor as he looked fondly down into the blue eyes
+uplifted to his.
+
+Once Sadie, leaning on the arm of a dashing cadet in uniform,
+swept slowly by Katherine and her companion.
+
+"How about that wager, honey?" she languidly inquired, her roguish
+eyes fastened upon the conspicuous rosebuds.
+
+But Katherine's only reply was a defiant toss of her brown head as
+she smiled serenely back at her and whirled blissfully on.
+
+Of course, it all had to come to an end, and morning found the
+weary, though still happy, revelers preparing, with much bustle
+and confusion, to disperse to their various homes; but that last
+delightful evening, with its music, and flowers, and charming
+associations, remained a brilliant spot in memory's realm during
+many after years.
+
+A week later found the Minturns and Seabrooks again located for
+the season at Manchester-by-the-sea.
+
+Prof. Seabrook, to the great joy of his family, was to remain with
+them throughout the vacation. He would do no roaming this year, he
+said. He had something of far more importance to attend to, and
+unfolded a plan to his dear ones, which was received with the
+greatest enthusiasm; more of which anon.
+
+It proved to be a summer long to be remembered by all, especially
+by Jennie, for various reasons; one of which was, she had never
+before seen the ocean, and it was a wonderful revelation to her,
+filling her with ever-increasing admiration and awe.
+
+"One gets something of an idea of what eternity means," she said,
+with a long-drawn breath of rapture, when, one day, Katherine
+accompanied her to a high point which commanded a limitless
+expanse of sea that seemed to softly melt away into the sky and so
+become lost to human vision.
+
+She could not content herself indoors much of the time, and almost
+won for. herself again the sobriquet of "Wild Jennie," for she
+would often disappear directly after breakfast, going off on long
+tramps to return hours later, laden with a promiscuous assortment
+of shells, stones, star-fish and other curiosities with which she
+lavishly adorned her own room and various other portions of the
+house.
+
+"Oh, it's only a 'spell,'" she retorted one day, when Katherine
+laughingly commented upon her conchological, geological,
+ichthyological "research." "It has got to have its 'run,' like
+some other beliefs that aren't so good; then I'll get over it, I
+suppose, settle down and behave like people who are already
+seasoned. If I could only be as successful in a genealogical way
+there'd be nothing left to wish for," she concluded with a wistful
+sigh.
+
+"Are you still brooding over that, Jennie?" gravely inquired
+Katherine.
+
+"Not exactly 'brooding,' dearie. I guess it's just a kind of
+hankering, though mortal mind does set up a howl, now and then, in
+spite of me, and says 'don't you wish you knew.'"
+
+Katherine laughed softly at the characteristic phraseology, but
+bent a very tender look upon the girl.
+
+"Well, you do know that you are God's child," she said, gently.
+
+"Yes; and I know it now, in a way that I never did before I knew
+you; and I'm sure no other 'stray waif' ever had quite so much to
+be thankful for as I have."
+
+They all loved the girl, and she was the life of the house,
+although she had toned down considerably during the last year; for
+she was always bright and cheery, keeping everybody in a ripple
+with her quaint sayings and contagious mirth.
+
+At the same time she made herself helpful, in many ways, was ever
+thoughtful for others, and, withal, so affectionate that everyone
+was the happier for her presence in the house.
+
+So the time drew on apace for the convening of Mrs. Minturn's
+"class," the date of which had been set for the twentieth of July.
+
+It was to be a full class, this year, and a convenient room had
+been secured in the "Back Bay district," in Boston, many of her
+prospective students being desirous of spending their vacation in
+that city to enjoy the privileges and services of "The Mother
+Church."
+
+Prof. Seabrook took rooms for himself and family near by--this was
+his "plan," that they all three have class instruction together--
+for such an arrangement would be more convenient for them than to
+try to go back and forth, each day, and also give them more time
+for study.
+
+It was an earnest and intelligent company that gathered in the
+appointed place on Monday, July twentieth, all eager to be fed
+with the Bread of Life. There were two clergymen, one physician,
+two lawyers, several teachers, business men and women, and others
+from humbler walks of life. Miss Reynolds had come on to "review";
+Jennie and Sadie were also among the number.
+
+Intense interest and the closest attention were manifested
+throughout the course, and Mrs. Minturn afterwards remarked that
+the class, as a whole, was one of the brightest and most receptive
+that she had ever taught.
+
+The sixth lesson was a particularly impressive one, during which
+every occupant of that sacred room became so conscious of the
+power and presence of Truth and Love, that the place almost seemed
+to them a "mount of transfiguration," as it were, where the Christ
+was revealed to them as never before.
+
+When the class was dismissed for the day, Mrs. Minturn asked Prof.
+Seabrook if he would kindly remain to assist her with some papers
+she had to make out; and Mrs. Seabrook and Dorothy, their "hearts
+still burning within them," stole quietly away to their rooms to
+talk over by themselves the beautiful things they had learned that
+morning.
+
+They passed out upon the street and had walked nearly half the
+distance to their boarding place, when Mrs. Seabrook stopped short
+and turned a startled face to her child.
+
+"Dorothy, your crutches!" was all she could say.
+
+The girl lifted a wondering look to her.
+
+"Mamma!" she said, in a voice of awe, "I forgot all about them!"
+
+"Shall we--shall I go back for them?" mechanically inquired her
+mother.
+
+"Go back for my crutches? Mamma! why, mamma! don't you see that I
+am free?--that I can walk as well as you?" she exclaimed, with a
+catch in her breath that was very like a sob. "You've just got to
+know it, for me and with me," she continued authoritatively, as
+she started on, "for I will never use them again. I have 'clung to
+the truth'--we've all clung--and 'Truth has made me free'! Oh!"--
+in an indescribable tone--"'who is so great a God as our God?' Let
+us g-get home quick, or--I shall have to c-cry right here in--the
+street."
+
+"Mamma, I think I know, now, just when all the fear left me,"
+Dorothy said later, when, after reaching their rooms, each had for
+a few moments sought the "secret place" to offer her hymn of
+praise for this new gift of Love. "You know how beautifully Mrs.
+Minturn talked about man's 'God-given dominion,' this morning; did
+you ever hear anyone say such lovely things? She seemed to take
+you almost into heaven, and I felt so happy--so light and free, I
+wanted to fly. I forgot all about my body, and I walked out of
+that room without realizing what I was doing; I hadn't really got
+back to mortal sense and things material, when you stopped and
+spoke of my crutches. I haven't said anything about it, for it
+seemed too good to be true, but for nearly two weeks I've had such
+a longing to walk alone, and, at times, it has almost seemed as if
+I could, but didn't quite dare to try. And, mamma"--Dorothy
+lowered her voice reverently--"have you noticed, when helping me
+to dress lately, that--that one of the curves is nearly gone from
+my back?"
+
+"Yes, dear, but I 'have not dared' to call your attention to it--
+that is what has made you seem so much taller, though we have
+called it 'growing,'" her mother returned.
+
+"Don't you think we have been very, very faithless, mamma, dear,
+not to 'dare' speak of our blessings and thank God for them?" said
+the girl, tremulously.
+
+"Dorrie, you shame me, every day, by your implicit faith!"
+faltered the woman, tears raining over her face.
+
+"No--no; not 'implicit,' mamma, for that would make the other
+curve straight this very minute. But I know it is going to he,
+sometime, for God made the real me upright and nothing can deprive
+me of my birthright."
+
+Half an hour later Prof. Seabrook came in, looking a trifle pale
+and anxious.
+
+Dorothy arose and went forward, with radiant face, to meet him. He
+could not speak, but opened his arms to her and held her close for
+a minute, his trembling lips pressed against the fair head lying
+on his breast.
+
+Presently she gently released herself, remarking:
+
+"Papa, do you know, when you came in, you looked as if you
+expected to find what we have all wished for so long."
+
+"I did and--I didn't," he replied, with a faint smile. "When I had
+finished what Mrs. Minturn asked me to do, and started to leave
+the room, I saw your crutches standing in the corner where I had
+put them after you were seated.
+
+"While I stood blankly staring and wondering, that blessed woman
+came to me with such a light on her face--it fairly shone with joy
+and love.
+
+"'Dorrie has gone,'" she said. "'I saw her walk out with her
+mother.'
+
+"Involuntarily I put out my hand to take the crutches,
+
+"'No--leave them,' she said, 'she will never need them again, and
+you do not wish any reminders of error about you.' So I came away
+praying 'Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.'"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+A MOMENTOUS ERRAND.
+
+
+There were only three more sessions, but they were wonderful
+"sittings together," for every member had been deeply impressed by
+the signal manifestation of God's power in their midst, in
+connection with Dorothy; and felt that the place whereon they
+stood was indeed "holy ground."
+
+Then the class was dismissed with solemn, but loving, injunctions
+to go forth to "cheer the faint, uplift the fallen, and heal the
+sick."
+
+But, before letting them go, Mrs. Minturn cordially invited the
+students to spend the following Thursday at her home in
+Manchester; to enjoy a reunion and an outing before finally
+separating to go to their different fields of labor.
+
+As their last meeting occurred on Tuesday, there intervened but
+one day in which to prepare for the prospective festivities on
+Thursday. But willing hearts and hands--for Mr. Minturn was now at
+home, and Prof. Seabrook and Dr. Stanley proffered their services-
+-made light work of the various things to be done.
+
+Katherine, Sadie and Jennie planned elaborate decorations for the
+veranda; accordingly the coachman and hostler were dispatched to
+the woods for pine boughs, evergreens, etc., then to a florist's,
+for potted ferns and plants, with an order for cut-flowers to be
+sent on Thursday morning, and it was not long before the house
+began to put on quite a festive appearance.
+
+On Wednesday, just after lunch, Mr. Minturn repaired to the attic
+and brought forth a box supposed to contain Chinese and Japanese
+lanterns, with other decorations; but, alas! when it was opened it
+was found that the mice had made sad havoc with its contents, and
+they were condemned as utterly useless.
+
+"That means a trip to Boston," the gentlemen observed to his wife,
+as he pushed the box into a corner with other rubbish, "for it
+would not be safe to trust to an order, at this late hour, and yet
+I do not see how I can go and leave things here."
+
+"I suppose one of the maids might go," said Mrs. Minturn, rather
+doubtfully, "but, really, they are having such a busy day, with
+sweeping and cleaning, and there is so much still to be done, I
+hardly have the heart to ask them."
+
+Jennie, who, with Mrs. Seabrook, Dorrie, Katherine and Sadie, was
+twining evergreen ropes and wreaths, and, at the same time, having
+a lovely, social visit, overheard the above conversation, and,
+knowing that Mr. Minturn could ill be spared, said to herself,
+with a sharp pang of regret:
+
+"I'm the one who ought to go; but--I don't want to."
+
+She glanced wistfully at the happy faces about her; at the half-
+finished wreath in her hands; at the deep-blue ocean whence came a
+cool, refreshing breeze, then, with a quickly repressed sigh, laid
+down her work and arose.
+
+"Let me go," she said, turning to Mrs. Minturn and stealing a fond
+arm around her waist. "I'm sure I can do the errand all right."
+
+"Dear, they will make quite a package, for there will have to be a
+good many," objected her friend, but with a quick smile of
+appreciation for her thoughtfulness. "Besides," she added,
+glancing at the merry group behind them, "you are all having such
+a good time."
+
+"Never mind anything so we have the lanterns. We must let our
+light shine, you know; and just look at that for muscle!" cheerily
+returned the girl, as she swept up her loose sleeve and revealed a
+truly sturdy arm. "I can catch the next train, if I step lively,
+and I'll be back on the one that leaves at five. Make out your
+order, Mr. Minturn, and I'll be ready before you can say 'Jack
+Robinson.'"
+
+She bounded into the house and was halfway upstairs before Mr.
+Minturn could get out his notebook and pencil, and in less than
+ten minutes was down again equipped for her trip.
+
+"'Jack Robinson,'" solemnly repeated Mr. Minturn, but with a
+roguish twinkle in his eyes as he handed her the leaf which he had
+torn from his notebook, with his order and the address of a Boston
+firm written on it. "Now be off, you sprite, or you will lose your
+train, and you shall have your reward later," he concluded, as the
+trap, which he had ordered up from the stable, dashed to the door.
+
+"I'll get my reward on the way," laughed the girl, throwing him a
+bright glance over her shoulder as she ran nimbly down the steps
+and sprang into the carriage, little thinking how true her
+lightly-spoken words would prove.
+
+Four hours later the trap was again sent to the station to meet
+her, and, a five minutes' drive, behind the pair of spirited
+beauties, landed her at home once more.
+
+Much had been accomplished during Jennie's absence, and the broad
+veranda was like a sylvan bower, the last nail having just been
+driven, the last wreath and festoon put in place; while the
+Seabrooks were on the point of going home to dinner as the
+carriage stopped before the door.
+
+She looked pale and appeared to see no one; but, leaping to the
+ground, sprang up the steps, touched Katherine on the arm, saying
+briefly, "Come!" then fled inside the house.
+
+Everyone wondered at her strange behavior, and Katherine
+immediately followed her to her room.
+
+The moment she appeared Jennie caught her in her arms and swung to
+the door.
+
+"Katherine! Katherine!" she cried, breathlessly, "I'm found!--I'm
+found!--I'm not a 'stray waif'--I'm not lost any longer--I'm--I'm-
+-"
+
+She could say no more-her breath was spent; her emotion mastered
+her--and, bowing her head on her companion's shoulder, she burst
+into passionate weeping that shook her from head to foot.
+
+Katherine held her in a close, loving embrace for a moment, then
+gently forced her into a rocker and knelt beside her, still
+keeping her arms around her, while she worked mentally for
+dominion and harmony.
+
+But the flood-gates were open wide. The pent-up yearnings of years
+were let loose, and it was some time before the storm began to
+abate.
+
+Once or twice she attempted to say something, then lapsed into
+fresh weeping, her self-control strangely shattered; for Jennie
+had seldom been known to shed tears in the presence of others,
+even under great pressure.
+
+"Hush!" at length commanded Katherine, with gentle authority; "be
+still and know who has you in His care."
+
+"That's pa-part of it!--to--to think that I--I didn't 'know'; and
+now it has c-come when I never really had f-f-faith to be-believe
+it would. I--do-don't d-deserve it," sobbed the girl, with another
+helpless outburst.
+
+While Katherine is patiently waiting and working for the return of
+a more tranquil frame of mind, let us take a backward glance and
+follow Jennie on her eventful trip to Boston.
+
+Upon her arrival in town she went directly to the store to which
+she had been directed and where her order was immediately filled;
+then finding that she had more than an hour on her hands before
+her train would go, she left her package to be called for and
+slipped into a large department store, to look at some pictures
+that had been recently and extensively advertised in the papers.
+
+But before reaching the room where they were on exhibition, she
+was attracted another way, by seeing a crowd of people standing
+before an alcove that had been curtained off, and where a so-
+called "transformation scene" was being enacted before admiring
+and wondering observers.
+
+She had never seen anything of the kind and stood like one
+entranced, while an exquisite marble statue, representing a
+beautiful girl holding a basket of flowers in her hands, slowly
+and mysteriously took on a lifelike appearance, until at length
+she stood a living, breathing maiden, smiling brightly into the
+faces around her, while her basket of flowers had also been
+changed to a cradle of bulrushes, in the midst of which lay an
+infant reaching up eager hands to the lovely woman above him.
+
+Jennie watched this scene--supposed to represent "Pharaoh's
+Daughter and The Infant Moses"--change the second time, then
+turned abruptly away, just as the metamorphosis back to marble
+began, to find herself confronted by a fine-looking, middle-aged
+gentleman, who was gazing with strange intentness at her.
+
+She would have passed him without a second glance, but, lifting
+his hat to her, he courteously inquired:
+
+"Young lady, will you kindly tell me your name?"
+
+Jennie flushed with sudden embarrassment. She had often been
+warned never to converse with strangers who might accost her; but,
+in this instance, while she had no intention of telling him who
+she was, she felt exceedingly awkward to refuse to grant a request
+so politely solicited.
+
+"I hope you will pardon me," he continued as he observed her
+confusion. "I am aware that I appear presumptuous; but you are the
+counterpart of a sister whom I lost years ago, and whose daughter
+I have been vainly seeking during the last five years."
+
+Jennie's heart bounded into her throat at this, and her discretion
+instantly vanished in her eagerness to verify a startling
+suspicion that had popped into her head while he was speaking.
+
+"Oh, sir," she began, with a nervous catch in her breath. "I am
+called Jennie Wild, but that isn't really my name--I don't know
+what it is. My father and mother were both killed in a railroad
+accident when I was a baby, and a kind lady adopted me and--
+perhaps--oh, do you think---" but her voice failed her utterly at
+this point, for her heart was panting painfully from mingled hope
+and fear.
+
+The stranger smiled genially down upon her, but his own voice was
+far from steady, as he said:
+
+"Suppose, Miss Wild, we go and sit down over yonder, where we will
+be by ourselves"--indicating a remote corner of the room--"and,
+perhaps, we can find out a little more about this double-puzzle;
+at least, we can ascertain whether your facts and mine will fit
+together."
+
+He led the way and placed a chair for her in a position to shield
+her from observation as they talked, and then, sitting down beside
+her, asked her to please tell him as much of her history as she
+was willing he should know.
+
+But, as we are aware, that was very little, indeed, and took only
+a few minutes to relate.
+
+"Well, my child," the man observed, when; she concluded, "there is
+not much in what you have told me that throws any light upon what
+I am anxious to learn; your face and form alone seem to indicate
+kinship, and that may be but a singular coincidence. All the same,
+you shall hear my story.
+
+"Years ago I had a sister whom I loved very dearly. She was much
+older than I and took the place of my mother when I lost her. I
+lived with this sister, after her marriage, until I was eighteen
+years of age, and grew to love the little daughter who came to her
+when I was a boy of ten, with a tenderness which I have no words
+to express. At the age of eighteen, an East India merchant, who
+dealt in spices, coffee, tea, etc., and who, having no children of
+his own, had made a kind of protege of me, proposed that I come to
+him and learn his business. His partner in the East had recently
+died; he was about to go abroad to take his place and suggested
+that this would give me a fine start in life. It was too good an
+opportunity to be slighted, and I eagerly accepted it. Years
+passed; my sister and her husband both died--their daughter
+married and settled in a thriving town, not far from San
+Francisco, Cal. Then, after a time, word came that there was
+another little girl in the daughter's home, and she wrote begging
+me to come back to her, if only for a visit, for I was now her
+only living relative and her lonely heart was hungry for me. I
+immediately made plans to do so; but my partner--who formerly had
+been my employer--was suddenly taken away and I was obliged to
+give up the trip. Nearly a year later my niece wrote very
+hurriedly, telling me that her husband had obtained a fine
+position in Chicago, that they had sold their home and were on the
+point of leaving for that city, but she would send me their
+address when they were settled. That was the last I ever heard
+from her, although I wrote numberless letters of inquiry to their
+former place of residence and also to Chicago. Complications in
+business made it impossible for me to come to the United States to
+institute a personal search, until about five years ago, and I
+have spent these years looking for the dear girl who so strangely
+disappeared after leaving her California home. I have been in
+nearly every large city in the land, and in each have advertised
+extensively, but all to no purpose. A month ago I came to Boston
+for the second time, and have liked the place so well I am loath
+to leave it. While looking at the transformation scene over
+yonder, I was attracted by your remarkable resemblance to my
+sister, as she was at your age, and could not refrain from
+speaking to you, hoping that I might hear a familiar name. Miss
+Wild, can you tell me just when this accident, which deprived you
+of your parents, occurred?"
+
+Jennie gave him the date of the month and the year, and her
+companion's face changed as he heard it.
+
+"That was the same month and the year that my niece left
+California to go to Chicago," he said. "I believe--I wonder--By
+the way, Miss Wild"--with a sudden start--"was there nothing about
+you when that woman found you, by which you could have been
+identified?"
+
+"Oh, yes! I never thought!" panted Jennie, as her trembling hands
+flew to her throat.
+
+In a trice she had unclasped the string of amber beads which she
+always wore inside her clothing, and laid them in his hand.
+
+The man grew very white as he saw them, turned the curious clasp
+over and read the initials engraven there. He did not speak for a
+full minute. He was evidently deeply moved, and Jennie sat
+watching him with bated breath and tensely clasped hands.
+
+"My dear," he finally said, "this is the 'open sesame' to
+everything. This and your remarkable resemblance to my sister,
+together with the date you have given me, prove to me beyond the
+shadow of a doubt that you are the daughter of my niece."
+
+"O-h!" breathed Jennie, with tremulous eagerness.
+
+"The initials 'A. A. to M. A. J.,' on the clasp, stand for 'Alfred
+Arnold to Mildred Arnold Jennison,'" the gentleman continued. "I
+am Alfred Arnold. When my niece wrote me of the birth of her
+little daughter, and that she had named her 'Mildred' for her
+mother, and 'Arnold,' for me, I bought this string of amber in
+Calcutta, had the initials engraved on the clasp and sent it to
+the tiny stranger."
+
+"Then--then I am--you are--" began Jennie, falteringly.
+
+"You are my grandniece--I am your great-uncle. My child, do you
+think you will care to own the relationship?"
+
+But the girl was, for the moment, beyond the power of speech.
+
+To have the harassing mystery of her life solved at last; to learn
+something definite regarding her family, even though no one
+remained to claim her save this distant relative, yet to find in
+him a cultured gentleman, and reaching out to her with tender
+yearning, as the only link with his past--was more than she could
+bear with composure. To have tried to speak just then would have
+precipitated a burst of tears and she "wouldn't cry in public."
+
+So she could only throw out an impulsive, trembling hand to him
+and smile faintly into the grave, kind face beside her.
+
+He folded it within his own and patted it soothingly with a
+fatherly air.
+
+"Little girl, little girl!" he said, huskily, but tenderly, "I can
+hardly believe it! I was becoming discouraged in my quest; but I
+begin to think now that life is worth living, even though the dear
+one I sought is gone and I shall never see her again in this
+life."
+
+"My mother! my father--have you their--" but Jennie was obliged to
+stop again because of the refractory lump in her throat.
+
+"Yes, I have numerous photographs of them all," Mr. Arnold
+replied, and instinctively comprehending her thought. "I even have
+one of baby Mildred," he added, with a smile, "taken when she was
+six months old. Your mother's maiden name was Pauline West, and I
+have some beautiful letters from her that you will love to read
+some day."
+
+"Do I look like her at all?" queried Jennie, who was beginning to
+forget herself and grow more composed as she drank in these
+interesting facts.
+
+"No; she resembled her father, and was light, with blue eyes,
+though you have a way of speaking that reminds me of her. But you
+are almost the image of my sister--her mother--who was dark, with
+black eyes, and hair that curled, just as yours does, about her
+forehead," Mr. Arnold replied, and added: "Your father I never
+saw, but I have some pictures of a very nice-looking gentleman
+whose autograph, 'Charles E. Jennison,' is written on the back."
+
+"And my name is 'Mildred Arnold Jennison,'" said Jennie, and
+drawing a long breath at the unfamiliar sounds.
+
+"Yes, I am sure of it. With your resemblance to Annie, my sister,
+the dates you have given me and this string of beads I could ask
+for no stronger proofs," returned the gentleman as he gave back
+the amber necklace.
+
+"It is a very pretty name, I think," said the girl, a happy little
+laugh breaking from her, "and I'm glad there is a 'Jennie' in it,
+for I've been called that so long I would hardly know how to
+answer to any other. But--oh! what time is it?" she cried,
+starting to her feet. "I had forgotten all about my train!"
+
+Mr. Arnold showed her his watch, whereupon she breathed more
+freely.
+
+"There is plenty of time," she added, more composedly, "but I
+think I must go now, for I have a package to get from another
+store. I hope, though, this hasn't been a 'transformation scene'
+that will turn back to marble or--blankness," she concluded, with
+a nervous laugh as she glanced towards the curtained alcove where
+they had met.
+
+"Do not fear--it is all living truth, and we are going to make it
+seem more real every day," cheerily responded Mr. Arnold. "I will
+see you to your train and we will thus have a little more time
+together; then, very soon, I would like to come to you and meet
+the friends who have been so kind to you."
+
+Jennie asked if he could make it convenient to come to Manchester
+on Friday, explaining why she could not make the appointment for
+the next day; and it was so arranged.
+
+He accompanied her to the station and put her aboard her train,
+making himself very entertaining on the way by recounting
+interesting incidents connected with his life and travels in the
+East.
+
+"You're sure you're a bona-fide uncle and no vanishing 'genie'?"
+she half jestingly, half wistfully remarked as the warning "All
+aboard!" sounded and she gave him her hand at parting.
+
+"I'm sure of the relationship, and I think I am of too substantial
+proportions to become invisible to mortal eyes at a moment's
+warning. Whether I shall be obliged to vanish in any other way
+will depend upon yourself later on," Mr. Arnold smilingly replied,
+as he courteously lifted his hat and bowed himself away.
+
+But during the ride home it seemed too wonderful to be true. She
+had dreamed of a similar revelation so many times, only to awake
+in the morning and find herself plain Jennie Wild, the same stray
+waif still hopelessly bemoaning the mystery that enshrouded her
+origin, that she could hardly believe she was not dreaming now.
+
+"Mildred Arnold Jennison! Mildred Arnold Jennison!" she repeated
+over and over. "I don't know her; I can hardly believe she really
+exists; it seems more like one of the many vagaries of 'Wild
+Jennie' who was ever fond of imagining herself some poor little
+princess in disguise."
+
+And thus, by the time she reached home, she had worked herself to
+the highest pitch of nervous excitement, which culminated in
+Katherine's arms, and which she was patiently trying to overcome
+when we left them to take our "backward glance."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+CONCLUSION.
+
+
+By the time Jennie had given Katherine a brief outline of what had
+occurred during the afternoon, the dinner bell sounded and warned
+them that they must put aside romance and startling revelations
+for the present and come down to the more practical and prosaic
+affairs of life.
+
+"But, Katherine, I can't go down," Jennie exclaimed as she sprang
+to the mirror and saw her red and swollen eyes. "I look a perfect
+fright."
+
+"Well, of course, you need not; I will send you up something nice,
+and you can rest and try to compose yourself, for you will want to
+tell us all more of this wonderful story by and by," Katherine
+considerately returned as she arose from her kneeling posture to
+obey the summons from below.
+
+"But you may set the ball rolling, dearie. I want them all to
+know, and they must have thought I had a queer 'bee in my bonnet'
+when I got home."
+
+"Very well, I will formally announce the advent of our new guest,
+Miss Mildred Arnold Jennison, if you wish, and I know that
+everyone will heartily rejoice with you," was the smiling reply.
+
+Jennie threw her arms impulsively around her friend, "Oh,
+Katherine! how good you always are to me!" she cried. "What a
+blessed thing it was for me that you chose to go to Hilton! If you
+hadn't I wouldn't have known about Science--I never should have
+come to Boston, and then I would have missed to-day, an--"
+
+"Oh, Jennie! Jennie! God governs all; He has more ways than one of
+leading His children, and when they are ready for the Truth it is
+always revealed to them," chidingly interposed her friend, but
+dropping a fond kiss upon the flushed cheek nearest her.
+
+"Well, but it was you who made me 'ready' for it," the girl
+persisted. "You were so dear yourself you made me want to be dear,
+too, and so my heart opened to receive the Truth. And, Katherine"-
+-impressively--"every day since I got your letter, just after
+auntie went away, I have said over to myself what you wrote me,
+and tried to believe it. It was this: 'Your identity is not lost;
+you are God's child, and that child can never be deprived of her
+birthright, or any other good necessary to her happiness and well-
+being'; only I put it in the first person."
+
+"Dear, you have made it a true prayer, and to-day you have
+received in part the answer to it," said Katherine, softly.
+
+"Do you think so?" said Jennie, earnestly.
+
+"Indeed, I do. You know the promise, 'If ye ask anything in My
+name, believing'? But I suppose I must go down," and Katherine
+turned to leave the room.
+
+Jennie stood still, thinking deeply for a moment. Then, before her
+friend could reach the stairs, she called out, the old cheery ring
+in her tones:
+
+"You needn't send up anything, you blessing; I'll wash my face and
+come down. I don't care if my eyes are red; you all love me and
+won't mind."
+
+So, after a little, this child of impulse joined the family below,
+her face radiant with happiness, in spite of the evidences of
+recent tears, and everybody exhibited the liveliest interest in
+the wonderful sequel to her life of mystery, and expressed, most
+cordially, their joy in view of her good fortune in finding some
+one akin to her.
+
+"Tell me what he looks like, honey. I'm just expiring with
+curiosity and impatience to see this great magician who has
+transformed everything for you," said Sadie, with her good-natured
+drawl, after Jennie had given them a more detailed account of the
+interview with her relative.
+
+"You just wait till you see this 'magician,' as you call him,"
+retorted the girl, with a proud little toss of her head. "Anyone
+can tell, with half a glance, that he's an out-and-out gentleman.
+And, don't you know"--with a long sigh of content--"it is such a
+comfortable feeling, for I've often had a very lively squirming
+time all by myself when I've tried to focus my mental kodak upon
+some imaginary shade of my ancestors to see what he was like."
+
+It was a very happy company that congregated on the verandas the
+next morning to complete the preparations for the reunion of the
+afternoon.
+
+Dr. Stanley and the Seabrooks came over again to help arrange
+flowers, hang the lanterns, etc., and they were no less rejoiced
+than her other friends when informed of Jennie's happy discoveries
+of the previous day.
+
+"What are we going to do without our 'Jennie Wild'?" smilingly
+inquired Prof. Seabrook, as he laid a friendly hand on her curly
+black head. "I am afraid a good many tongues will trip a good many
+times before they get used to 'Miss Mildred Arnold Jennison.'"
+
+"Well, professor, you'll have the same Jennie--at least for the
+next two years; for I'm never going to be called anything else by
+my old friends," returned the girl, in a positive tone. "I don't
+quite know how we are going to manage about the name," she added,
+reflectively. "I'm free to admit, though"--with an arch look--"I
+think my new trimmings are rather swell; but I can't give up the
+Jennie. I'm sure Jennie Jennison wouldn't do--too much Jennie, you
+know. But I'm not going to worry about that to-day; I'm too happy,
+and there's too much to be done. Mrs. Minturn, where is
+Katherine?" she suddenly inquired, with a roguish glance at a
+stalwart form that was restlessly pacing the veranda.
+
+"She is in the library, answering a letter for me; she will be
+through very shortly. Do you want her particularly, dear?"
+innocently questioned the lady who was absorbed in filling a
+jardiniere with scarlet geraniums.
+
+"N-o, not very; only I've been growing conscious during the last
+few minutes that there is a--er--something lacking in the
+atmosphere. Dr. Stanley, do have this rocker," she interposed,
+with a sly smile, and pushing one towards him, "it's too warm this
+morning for such a waste of energy."
+
+Either by chance or intention, she had swung the chair directly
+opposite a low window that commanded a view of the library, where
+Katherine, in a familiar gown of pale yellow chambrey, was
+oblivious to all but the work in hand. The young man shot a
+searching look at the mischievous elf; then, with a quiet "thank
+you," deliberately took the proffered seat, but, ten minutes
+later, he also was missing from the company.
+
+He found Katherine seated before her own private desk, and in the
+act of stamping the letter which he had just seen her addressing.
+
+"I hope I do not intrude?" he observed, in a tone of polite
+inquiry.
+
+"No, I am just through," she replied, as she carefully pressed the
+still moist stamp in place with a small blotter.
+
+"I have come to ask if you have a copy of that flashlight picture
+of the 'Flower Carnival'" he resumed. "Dorrie's is at home, but
+she wishes to have some more copies, and as I am going to town to-
+morrow I thought I would attend to it."
+
+"Yes, I have mine right here," said Katherine, as she took a small
+key from a drawer and proceeded to unlock a compartment in her
+desk, smilingly explaining as she did so: "This is where I keep my
+choicest treasures--things that I do not let everyone see."
+
+"Must I look away?" demanded her companion, in a mock-injured
+tone.
+
+"Oh! no"--with a silvery ripple--"I am not quite so secretive as
+that."
+
+Removing a box, she carefully placed it one side, then brought
+forth a package nicely wrapped in tissue paper. Unfolding this,
+she disclosed several photographs, and among them was the one he
+had asked for.
+
+"How fortunate you were to get so good a picture!" she observed,
+and studied it a moment before giving it to him. "How happy Dorrie
+looks! Although, to see her now, one would scarcely believe that
+this was ever taken for her."
+
+"No, indeed! What a marvelous change a year has made in that
+child!" said Dr. Stanley, in an animated tone.
+
+"'A year!' I am sure you do not quite mean that," and she lifted a
+questioning look to him.
+
+"No, I do not--thank you for correcting me," he gravely rejoined.
+"I know time has had nothing to do with it--that we owe it all to
+Christ--Truth. How watchful one needs to be of one's words, in
+Science."
+
+"Yes, or one is liable to give wrong impressions without meaning
+to. It is scientific to be exact, and"--with a soft sigh--"we all
+have to learn that by being continually on guard."
+
+There was a moment of silence, after she ceased speaking, during
+which Katherine began to be conscious that the atmosphere was
+becoming charged with an unaccustomed element, and she hastened to
+observe, as she glanced towards the veranda:
+
+"How lovely the house is looking! Have you your camera here?"
+
+"I am sorry I have not, for we ought to have some views of it. We
+will have," he added. "I will have a photographer from the village
+come up before the day is over and take some."
+
+As he concluded, by some careless handling, the picture of the
+Flower Carnival slipped from his grasp, and in trying to recover
+it his arm came in contact with the box, which Katherine had taken
+from her treasure closet, displacing the cover and almost
+upsetting it.
+
+"Oh!" cried the girl, in a startled tone, but flushing scarlet as
+she saved it from falling and hastily replaced the cover. She was
+not quick enough, however, to prevent her companion seeing, with a
+sudden heart bound of joy, that the box contained a spray of dried
+and faded moss rosebuds.
+
+He turned a radiant face to her, and her eyes drooped in confusion
+before the look in his, while the color burned brighter in her
+cheeks.
+
+"Miss Minturn--Katherine! Did you prize them enough to keep them--
+here?" and he touched the door of her "treasure closet"
+
+"They are a--a souvenir of a delightful evening--my last at
+Hilton," she faltered.
+
+His countenance fell; yet something in the tense attitude of the
+figure beside him, in her quickened breathing and fluctuating
+color emboldened him to ask:
+
+"Did they convey no message to you? had they any special
+significance? Tell me--tell me, please!"
+
+"They had not--then," she confessed, almost inaudibly.
+
+"Then?" he repeated, eagerly.
+
+"I did not know--I had not looked---"
+
+"You did not know their language then; but you do now, dear?" he
+said, a glad ring in his tones. "And may I tell you that my heart
+and all its dearest hopes went with those little voiceless
+messengers? That was Why--"
+
+"Oh! Uncle Phillip, the carriage has come for us and we are
+waiting for you," cried Dorothy's voice from the low, open window
+on the opposite side of the room, and for the first time in his
+life a feeling of impatience with his niece stirred in Phillip
+Stanley's heart. "Why! is anything the matter?" she added, as she
+observed Katherine's averted eyes and unusual color and her
+uncle's unaccustomed intensity.
+
+"I'll be with you in a minute, Dorrie," he said. "Just one word,"
+he pleaded, bending nearer to Katherine, "have you treasured my
+messengers because of their message?"
+
+But Katherine could not speak even the "one word"--the fluttering
+of her startled heart, the throbbing in her throat robbed her of
+the power to make a sound. The most she could do was to lift her
+eyes, for one brief instant, and smile faintly into the fond face
+looking down upon her. It was enough, however. Phillip Stanley
+stood erect and drew in a long, free breath.
+
+"Coming, Dorrie!" he called out, as the girl made a movement to
+step over the low sill into the room; "no, there is nothing the
+matter--I came to ask Miss Minturn for the Flower Carnival
+picture, to have it copied for you."
+
+"How nice of you, Uncle Phillip! You are always so thoughtful for
+me!" said unsuspicious Dorothy.
+
+The man's laugh rang out full and clear, but with a note of
+genuine mirth in it that made Katherine's cheeks tingle afresh,
+for it told her that his main object in seeking her had not been
+to get the picture.
+
+"Oh! if that child would but vanish!" he thought, with an adoring
+look at the pretty, drooping figure in its dainty robe of pale
+yellow; but little Miss Marplot evidently had no such intention,
+and he reluctantly turned away to save Katherine further
+embarrassment.
+
+"Good-by, Miss-Katherine; we will be with you again this
+afternoon," he said, with a thrill in his voice as it lingered
+over the name; then he stepped through the low window, slipped his
+arm around unconscious Dorrie and led her away to the carriage.
+
+The reunion of the afternoon was a most delightful occasion. Mr.
+Minturn had chartered a yacht to take the whole party out for a
+few hours' sail, and, the day being perfect, the sea in its bluest
+attire and quietest mood, there was nothing to mar their
+enjoyment, and the experience proved ideal for everyone.
+
+They returned just at sunset, to find numerous daintily laid
+tables awaiting them on one of the broad verandas and groaning
+beneath an abundance of the many luxuries that had been provided
+to tempt and regale; while spotlessly attired maids and white-
+jacketed men were in attendance to serve the hungry excursionists.
+As twilight dropped down o'er land and sea, as the numerous
+lanterns were lighted and flung their soft radiance and vivid
+spots of color upon the scene, while a fine orchestra discoursed
+melodiously from some green-embowered nook, the place seemed like
+an enchanted realm where one might almost expect to discern,
+flitting among the playful shadows, those weird forms that people
+the elf land of childhood's fancy--
+
+    "Fairies, black, gray, green and white,
+     Those moonshine revelers and shades of night."
+
+And thus the evening was spent in a delightfully informal manner,
+each and all appearing to feel as if they were members of one
+happy family, as, indeed, they were, in Truth and Love.
+
+But the final farewells had to be said at length, for railway
+time-tables are absolute, and the last train for Boston would
+leave at ten o'clock.
+
+At half-past nine the carriages were at the door and fifteen
+minutes later all were gone, excepting the Seabrooks, who lingered
+for a few last words with the family, and to take leave of Miss
+Reynolds, who would go home on the morrow.
+
+They were all standing together in the brilliantly lighted
+reception hall, Dorothy with one arm linked within her father's,
+the other encircling Katherine's waist.
+
+"Hasn't it been a wonderful day, papa?" said the girl, during a
+little lull in the general conversation.
+
+"It certainly has, dear," he replied, giving the small arm a fond
+pressure.
+
+"And see!" she continued, glancing around the circle, "all of us,
+except Mr. and Mrs. Minturn, belong to Miss Katherine."
+
+"Well, bless my heart!" here laughingly interposed Mr. Minturn.
+"Miss Dorothy, I think that is very unceremoniously crowding us
+out of our own domain."
+
+"You'll know I didn't mean to do any crowding when I tell you my
+thought," she returned, and nodding brightly at him. "You see, it
+was she who interested everyone of us in Science, and I think we
+ought to be called Miss Katherine's sheaves. You know it says in
+the Bible 'he who goes forth bearing precious seed shall come
+again bringing his sheaves with him.' She sowed the seed at Hilton
+and has 'gathered us all in' here."
+
+"That is a very sweet thought, Dorrie, and it is true enough,
+too," said her mother, as she bestowed a fond look upon Katherine.
+"But," she added, moving towards the door, "we must go home this
+very minute, for it is getting late," and with general "good-
+nights" they also went away.
+
+Katherine followed them out upon the veranda, where she stood
+leaning against the balustrade and watched their forms melt away
+in the darkness, a thrill of loving gratitude in her heart, for,
+were they not indeed her "sheaves"?
+
+Presently she heard a step behind her, then a firm yet gentle hand
+was laid upon hers.
+
+"May I have it for always, Katherine?" questioned Phillip Stanley,
+in a low voice, as he lifted and inclosed it in both of his. "I
+could not say half I wished this morning, dear. Poor Dorrie!"--in
+a mirthful tone--"did not realize how exceedingly de trop she was,
+and, for a moment, I was half tempted to be cross with her. I saw
+Mr. and Mrs. Minturn after I returned from my drive and told them
+something of what I had tried, under such difficulties, to make
+you understand."
+
+"You told papa and mamma!"
+
+"I had to--I simply could not keep it. I know you had given me no
+verbal authority to ask for what I wanted; but, ah!--that look,
+that smile, as I left you, made me bold enough for anything."
+
+"And they--"
+
+"They told me that it would have to be just as Katherine said.
+What does my 'brown-eyed lassie' say?"
+
+Involuntarily the girl's slender fingers closed over his hand as
+she lifted frank, sweet eyes to him.
+
+"Yes, Phillip." Softly, shyly, the coveted answer fell on his
+ears.
+
+"That means that you are mine, as I am yours," he said, a great
+joy throbbing in his tones, "and"--reverently--"we are also to be
+one, in heart and purpose, in the service of our great cause."
+
+Drawing the hand he held within his arm, he led her down the steps
+out among the fairy shadows to a great rock that overlooked the
+sea.
+
+Meantime, the "news" was being whispered among the family inside
+and was received with general satisfaction, Sadie, particularly,
+expressing great delight in view of what she termed a "perfectly
+elegant match."
+
+Jennie, on the other hand, accepted it as a matter of course.
+
+"It didn't need to be announced, at least to me," she declared,
+with a wise nod of her head. "I've seen it coming this long while,
+for Science isn't the only absorbing subject that a certain
+gentleman has been investigating during the last year and a half.
+But just let me tell you--if my name had been Jimmy instead of
+Jennie that handsome M.D. wouldn't have found such clear sailing
+in this harbor."
+
+When Katherine finally came in, trying hard to appear unconscious,
+but looking rosy and starry-eyed, Sadie sprang forward and threw
+her arms around her, kissing her heartily.
+
+Then drawing back, but still holding her a prisoner, she mockingly
+exclaimed:
+
+"Moss rosebuds! Katherine, have you ever taken the trouble to
+ascertain what they mean when sent by a swain to a maid?"
+
+"Oh! Sadie, how you do love to tease!" cried the blushing girl as
+she tried in vain to release herself from the clinging arms.
+
+"Well, honey," continued her tormentor, "it was as plain as A B C
+to me that night, and I chuckled right smart to myself when I saw
+you innocently pin them, on your breast. It was simply delicious!
+But"--suddenly laying her hands on the pretty brown head--"bless
+you, my children! you have my unqualified sanction and I'll put my
+whole heart into my toes when I dance at your wedding."
+
+With a light laugh the gay girl bounded to the piano and
+vigorously began playing Mendelssohn's wedding march. But
+Katherine had vanished.
+
+Phillip Stanley, however, sitting on the veranda, across the way,
+caught the suggestive strains and laughed softly to himself, as,
+in imagination, he surmised something of what was going on in the
+Minturn mansion.
+
+The following day brought Mr. Arnold to make his promised call
+upon Jennie and her friends, when, as the proud and happy girl had
+predicted, it did not require much discernment to realize that he
+was every whit a "gentleman." He told them, among other things,
+that his life had been rather a lonely one, as he had no family.
+Several years after going to the East he had married the daughter
+of a planter, but she had been taken from him two years after
+their union, and he had never cared to marry again.
+
+When his partner died he became sole proprietor of their business,
+which he had successfully conducted until he determined to return
+to America, when he had sold out to some of his clerks, satisfied
+to retire with a moderate fortune and allow them to have their
+day, as he had had his.
+
+He brought with him letters, papers and numerous photographs which
+convinced Mr. Minturn that he was, in truth, akin to Jennie and
+entitled to be her future protector, as he both desired and
+claimed the right to be.
+
+He expressed his grateful appreciation of what the Minturns,
+particularly Katherine, had done for his niece, but insisted upon
+refunding all that they had thus far expended upon her education.
+
+"It is but just and right," he persisted, when Katherine demurred,
+saying it had been "a love offering, and she did not wish it
+back." "I am abundantly able to do it and also to give her every
+advantage in the future. I do feel, however, that nothing can ever
+repay you for the great kindness you have shown her."
+
+He afterwards had a private conversation with Jennie, during which
+he proposed to legally adopt her, if she had no objection to
+taking his name, and would be content to make her home with an
+"old gentleman" like himself.
+
+"Content!" she exclaimed, drawing an ecstatic breath. "Well, for a
+girl who has always felt that she didn't really belong anywhere,
+that is a prospect that would just about turn my head if I hadn't
+found a new chart and compass to steer by. As for the 'old
+gentleman,' if you don't mind"--with a roguish glance but flushing
+slightly--"I'd--like to tell you I think he is just dear."
+
+"I wonder what I'll have to pay for that?" said Mr. Arnold,
+laughing, but with a suspicious moisture in his eyes.
+
+"Well," said Jennie, cocking her head on one side and giving him
+an arch look, "if you'll try to think the same of me we'll call it
+square."
+
+"That won't be such a difficult task," he replied, gently touching
+a curling lock on her forehead that was so like his sister's.
+
+"As for the name," Jennie resumed, more seriously, "you say my
+middle one was given me for you; why not transpose it and call me
+Mildred Jennison Arnold? Then I can keep them all, and it will not
+seem out of place to still address me as 'Jennie.'"
+
+This was regarded as a happy thought, and, as soon as the
+necessary papers could be made out, she became Alfred Arnold's
+legally adopted daughter.
+
+His chief thought now appeared to be to make her life as happy as
+possible, and, after consulting her wishes, he purchased a lovely
+home very near Hilton Seminary, secured a competent and motherly
+woman for a housekeeper, and thus the girl was enabled to continue
+her course at school, as a day scholar, and enjoy her delightful
+home at the same time.
+
+Dr. Stanley also bought a fine residence in the same locality, and
+early in January Katherine was back once more to take up her life
+work 'mid old familiar scenes, greatly to the delight of the
+Seabrooks and her many other friends.
+
+Her husband still retained his office in the city, but with a new
+sign now hanging in his window--"Phillip Harris Stanley, M.D.,
+Christian Scientist," and already he was becoming widely known as
+a successful practitioner.
+
+Soon after their return, in the fall, Prof. Seabrook and his
+family identified themselves with the Scientists of the city, and
+also with "the Mother Church" in Boston. Some of the pupils
+dropped out of Hilton, because of this step, but others came to
+fill their places, and a year later both wings of the building had
+been extended and a most flourishing condition of affairs
+prevailed. Miss Reynolds had resigned her position at Hilton, at
+the beginning of the year, and remained at home with her mother,
+and where she also had taken up her work for Truth.
+
+Sadie Minot, having attained her majority and come into possession
+of her fortune, decided that she would be happier to locate near
+her old friends, with whom she was in such close religious
+sympathy, and she accordingly found a pleasant home in the city
+and resumed the study of French, German and music.
+
+One morning, late in February, she went up on the hill to spend
+the day with Katherine, who often claimed her for such a visit,
+for their friendship was one of the dearest things of their lives.
+
+To-day, however, Sadie appeared to have some weighty subject on
+her mind, for she was unusually thoughtful, and Katherine was
+beginning to wonder if anything was troubling her, when she drew
+forth a letter and, passing it to her, said:
+
+"Read that, honey, and tell me what you think of it."
+
+With a dim suspicion of what was coming, Katherine drew forth the
+missive from its envelope and read:
+
+"DEAR SADIE: When the prodigal faced about to go back to his home,
+his father went forth to meet him. I have faced about; I have
+returned to my father and--our Father. The one has welcomed and
+forgiven, and Truth is teaching me what true forgiveness of sin
+is--the destruction of sin in the human consciousness. Now I turn
+to you to seek pardon--nay, I suppose I should 'know' that I am
+already pardoned, since you also are learning to recognize man
+only as his Father's 'image and likeness.' At the same time, some
+acknowledgment is due for wrong that I have done you. Truth
+compels me to confess that my motive in seeking you, two years
+ago, was not good, and I am now ashamed of my later persecution--
+it was unworthy of any man. And now, justice to myself prompts me
+to say that, underneath, there was a real fondness for you, and I
+find--now that I am clothed and in my right mind--that it had
+acquired even a stronger hold upon me than I then realized. I
+write this because I am soon to go abroad for an indefinite
+period--have been appointed confidential secretary to----, who
+goes, in March, as United States Minister to England. All I am,
+together with the brighter prospects before me, I owe to Phillip
+Stanley, who, next to her who has given to this sin-burdened world
+the message of Love that has saved me, commands my deepest
+gratitude and respect. Send me one word, Sadie--'forgiven'--and I
+shall leave my country with a lighter heart than I have known for
+years.      NED."
+
+Katherine lifted moist eyes, to her friend after reading and
+refolding the letter.
+
+"Phillip says the change in him is wonderful--he saw him, you
+know, when he was at home for Christmas," she observed. "Shall you
+send him the word he asks for, Sadie?"
+
+Miss Minot did not reply for a moment, and her flushed face
+drooped lower over the embroidery in her hands. At last she said,
+slowly:
+
+"Honey, I have sent him a word; but it was 'Come'!"
+
+"Sadie!"
+
+"Yes, and"--a shy smile playing around the corners of the girl's
+mouth--"a telegram received last night reads: 'Coming Thursday;
+sail March thirtieth; can you get ready?'"
+
+"You fairly take my breath away!" exclaimed Katherine, amazed.
+"And you are going to England with him?"
+
+"I reckon he'd hardly expect anything else, after I had said
+'Come,' would he?" queried Sadie, sweeping her friend a shy look
+from under her lashes.
+
+"It seems to me you are not quite so averse to a European trip as
+you were a year and a half ago," Mrs. Stanley observed, in a
+significant tone.
+
+Sadie laughed out merrily.
+
+"Well"--the old Southern drawl manifesting itself--"at that time,
+honey, the attraction to stay was the same that it now is to go."
+
+"I am glad, Sadie--I really am," said Katherine, after a
+thoughtful pause. "Phillip and I have often wondered how things
+would eventually arrange themselves for you two. I must say,
+though, the way you've managed it is unique in the annals of
+history," and she burst into a hearty laugh.
+
+"Think so? Well, you see, I didn't have any preserved moss
+rosebuds to send him," retorted Miss Minot, with a chuckle.
+
+"Sadie, will you never let up on those rosebuds?" cried Katherine,
+still laughing. "However, as I said before, I am glad; you are
+practically alone in the world and will be happier to have a home
+of your own, and I think I would feel very sorry to have Mr.
+Willard go to a far country all by himself. Now, I am going to
+have you come right to me until you go," she went on, with
+animation. "You shall be married here. I will matronize you, and
+we will have all the old school friends on hand to give you a
+rousing send-off."
+
+"How perfectly lovely of you, Katherine! It will surely be a great
+comfort to me--give me such a homey feeling, you know, and I--"
+but Sadie's tremulous lips and an unmanageable lump in her throat
+would not permit her to go on.
+
+"I shall love to do it, dear. It will give me a fine opportunity
+to entertain our classmates and other friends," Katherine hastened
+to say. "But how perfectly funny!" she cried, gayly, "to be
+planning for your wedding, and you two lovers haven't yet come to
+a definite understanding?"
+
+"Oh! yes, we have, honey. Ned knows, as well as I, that everything
+was settled by that one word, 'Come.' Nothing but details remain
+to be arranged. But--oh! Katherine, how I shall miss you!" she
+concluded, yearningly, for, as we know, during their two years'
+friendship there had been scarcely a cloud to obscure the harmony
+between them.
+
+"Yes, we shall miss each other," Katherine assented, with a soft
+sigh. "But"--turning luminous eyes upon her--"we both have the
+same shepherd--Love; we shall both dwell together in the 'secret
+place' and be ever working for the same blessed Cause. Nothing can
+really separate us, dear, so long as we faithfully keep step in
+moving towards the Light."
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, KATHERINE'S SHEAVES ***
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